Ranwadi High school
Encyclopedia
Ranwadi School is a co-educational boarding school on Pentecost
, Vanuatu
. The school has just over 300 students, who come from all over Pentecost Island and from other parts of Vanuatu.
The school is situated 11 km north of Lonorore airport on a coastal hillside adjacent to the village of Vanwoki. Ran wadi has been translated as "on a mound of stones by the shore" in Sowa language
. Strictly this name refers to the coastal area below the school; the site on which the main school buildings now stand was historically known as Orobe.
Ranwadi is a Churches of Christ mission school and is run along strongly religious lines; the school's motto is Luke 2:52.
The school's main source of income is the school fees paid by its students, although it also receives some funding from church and government sources. Major development projects at the school have often been funded by overseas aid. In 2005-2006 a major improvement programme was carried out with the help of AusAID (the Australian Agency for International Development).
Although the majority of the staff are local, under Principal Silas Buli the school has also welcomed a large number of expatriate teachers. Most of these have been affiliated with volunteer organisations such as Lattitude Global Volunteering (formerly GAP Activity Projects), Project Pacific, VSA
, Peace Corps
and church mission groups.
Tabimamkan died in 1918, and there is no record of what happened at Ranwadi from then until 1934, when another missionary, Mr Sandalls, arrived. He left due to ill health, and was replaced by another missionary, Mr Dow, who stayed at Ranwadi from 1937 to 1939. After this the school was temporarily abandoned and became overgrown, although the work of baptising people into the Churches of Christ was continued by local villagers.
In 1946, a missionary couple named Jack and Dorothy Smith established a mission station at Ranmawot, 3 km south of Ranwadi. A small primary school was established here, although the site proved too small, and in 1955 work began on building a new school at the old Ranwadi site, under the leadership of Owen Jones, a teacher newly arrived from Ballarat, Australia. The school was gradually developed there under a succession of missionaries, including Frank Beale (1957), Fred Reynolds (1958–1959), Jack Edwards and his wife (1959–1968) and Beth Clapp (1969–1970). The school originally took only boys, but under Mr & Mrs Edwards girls began to be admitted.
In 1971, as the islanders' educational standard improved, Ranwadi was transformed into a secondary school, while a primary school was re-established at Ranmawot. Ranwadi continued to be run by Australian missionaries: Ray Wilson and his wife (1971–1973), Ken Warne and his wife (1974–1978), Jenny Marshall (1978–1980) and Lyall Muller (1981–1985).
In colonial days, Ranwadi owned a large tract of surrounding land, on which students cultivated their own food. However, following Vanuatu's independence in 1980, the school faced demands from traditional landowners for the return of their ancestral land. The ensuing land dispute was solved by the signing of a Lease Agreement under which Ranwadi kept the core of its land in return for a small annual rent payment to the villagers. The remainder of the land, including the site of present-day Vanwoki village, was returned to its traditional owners. Although the agreement led to good relations between the school and the surrounding communities, it also left the school dependent on imported foodstuffs which represent a major drain on the school's budget and a cause of malnutrition among its students.
The new Vanuatu government's desire to see schools run by local people rather than overseas missionaries led to the appointment in 1986 of Silas Buli, from nearby Vanuu (Waterfall village), as principal (1986-2009). Although very young and inexperienced at the time of his appointment, Silas enjoyed a long and successful term at Ranwadi, and won a great deal of respect from those who worked with him. Silas Tabi served one year as Principal (2010). He is from the central part of Pentecost. 2011 saw another change in the administration of the college. Royal Bebe being the Acting Principal and Albert Bule being the Deputy Principal. Albert has served in this position since 2010. They are both young though but are doing well.
Year 9 and 10 students ("juniors") follow a standard curriculum set by the Vanuatu Ministry of Education, culminating in national exams at the end of Year 10 which determine students' future progress. Year 11 and 12 students ("seniors") study towards Pacific Senior Secondary Certificates set by the Fiji-based exam board SPBEA. Year 13 students follow pre-university courses administered by the University of the South Pacific
.
The language of instruction at Ranwadi is English
, although in informal settings, teachers and students mostly communicate in Bislama or their vernacular languages
.
Christianity is a major part of school life, with students attending twice-daily services in the chapel, in addition to other religious events such as Easter baptisms, which are held in the saltwater pool below the school. Helping students get to know Jesus is considered by many to be the school's number one priority.
Ranwadi also places a heavy emphasis on sports, and regularly comes in first or second place at the PISSA Games (a provincial inter-school tournament). The major sports played at the school are football, netball, volleyball, basketball and athletics.
The school buildings comprise ten ordinary classrooms, two science laboratories, four technology rooms, a computer room, a staff room, a large library, offices, a dining hall and kitchen, a chapel, a mechanic's workshop, a nurse's station, a small shop, boys' and girls' dormitories, and staff houses. Teachers' houses are located close to the main school buildings, while ancillary staff such as the driver, nurse and boarding master are housed on the shoreside strip below the school.
A large sports ground below the school, with a football pitch and two basketball/volleyball/netball courts, is shared by the school and the local community.
Small gardens around the school are used by students for agriculture classes, and fish ponds are under construction.
Electricity is provided in the evenings by a 40 kW diesel-powered generator. Smaller generators provide power during the day when needed for computers and photocopying, and the use of renewable energy is currently under investigation.
Unlike at typical locations in rural Vanuatu, most houses at Ranwadi have running water and flush toilets. Water is supplied from a spring on the mountainside above the school near Lalwori village, via a system of pipes and tanks which also serve neighbouring villages. Rainwater tanks collecting the run-off from roofs provide an additional source of water, as well as helping to prevent erosion, which is an issue in parts of the school.
Transport of students and supplies to and from the school occurs primarily by ship, although some also arrive by air from Port Vila and Santo, or by road from neighbouring parts of Pentecost. Cargo ships, which pass along the coast of Pentecost approximately twice per week, put ashore either at the beach by the school sports field (although access here is somewhat difficult due to the presence of a reef), or at nearby Vanuu (Waterfall Village). The school owns a 'truck' (four-wheel-drive utility vehicle) which is used for transport of staff, students and supplies to and from the landing point, the airport, the bank and hospital at nearby Melsisi, and other locations.
Pentecost Island
Pentecost Island is one of the 83 islands that make up the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. It lies due north of capital Port Vila. Pentecost Island is known as Pentecôte in French and Pentikos in Bislama. The island was known in its native languages by names such as Vanu Aroaroa, although these...
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
. The school has just over 300 students, who come from all over Pentecost Island and from other parts of Vanuatu.
The school is situated 11 km north of Lonorore airport on a coastal hillside adjacent to the village of Vanwoki. Ran wadi has been translated as "on a mound of stones by the shore" in Sowa language
Sowa language
Sowa was the original language of south-central Pentecost island in Vanuatu. In recent times it has been totally displaced by Apma, a neighbouring language. Sowa is very closely related to Ske, another south Pentecost language....
. Strictly this name refers to the coastal area below the school; the site on which the main school buildings now stand was historically known as Orobe.
Ranwadi is a Churches of Christ mission school and is run along strongly religious lines; the school's motto is Luke 2:52.
The school's main source of income is the school fees paid by its students, although it also receives some funding from church and government sources. Major development projects at the school have often been funded by overseas aid. In 2005-2006 a major improvement programme was carried out with the help of AusAID (the Australian Agency for International Development).
Although the majority of the staff are local, under Principal Silas Buli the school has also welcomed a large number of expatriate teachers. Most of these have been affiliated with volunteer organisations such as Lattitude Global Volunteering (formerly GAP Activity Projects), Project Pacific, VSA
Volunteer Service Abroad
VSA is an international volunteering organisation based in Wellington, New Zealand. It is an independent charity and is non-governmental, non-religious and non-political...
, Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
and church mission groups.
History
Ranwadi traces its origins to 1902, when a local man named Willie Tabimamkan returned from working on a Queensland sugar plantation with a "burning desire" to tell people about Jesus. Tabimamkan wrote to Australia asking for help, and in response, a missionary named John Thompson arrived in 1903. Malaria forced Thompson to leave later that year, but his arrival marked the beginning of the work of the Churches of Christ Overseas Mission Board in the area, which continues to this day. The next white missionary was Frank Filmer, who stayed at Ranwadi from 1908 until 1912.Tabimamkan died in 1918, and there is no record of what happened at Ranwadi from then until 1934, when another missionary, Mr Sandalls, arrived. He left due to ill health, and was replaced by another missionary, Mr Dow, who stayed at Ranwadi from 1937 to 1939. After this the school was temporarily abandoned and became overgrown, although the work of baptising people into the Churches of Christ was continued by local villagers.
In 1946, a missionary couple named Jack and Dorothy Smith established a mission station at Ranmawot, 3 km south of Ranwadi. A small primary school was established here, although the site proved too small, and in 1955 work began on building a new school at the old Ranwadi site, under the leadership of Owen Jones, a teacher newly arrived from Ballarat, Australia. The school was gradually developed there under a succession of missionaries, including Frank Beale (1957), Fred Reynolds (1958–1959), Jack Edwards and his wife (1959–1968) and Beth Clapp (1969–1970). The school originally took only boys, but under Mr & Mrs Edwards girls began to be admitted.
In 1971, as the islanders' educational standard improved, Ranwadi was transformed into a secondary school, while a primary school was re-established at Ranmawot. Ranwadi continued to be run by Australian missionaries: Ray Wilson and his wife (1971–1973), Ken Warne and his wife (1974–1978), Jenny Marshall (1978–1980) and Lyall Muller (1981–1985).
In colonial days, Ranwadi owned a large tract of surrounding land, on which students cultivated their own food. However, following Vanuatu's independence in 1980, the school faced demands from traditional landowners for the return of their ancestral land. The ensuing land dispute was solved by the signing of a Lease Agreement under which Ranwadi kept the core of its land in return for a small annual rent payment to the villagers. The remainder of the land, including the site of present-day Vanwoki village, was returned to its traditional owners. Although the agreement led to good relations between the school and the surrounding communities, it also left the school dependent on imported foodstuffs which represent a major drain on the school's budget and a cause of malnutrition among its students.
The new Vanuatu government's desire to see schools run by local people rather than overseas missionaries led to the appointment in 1986 of Silas Buli, from nearby Vanuu (Waterfall village), as principal (1986-2009). Although very young and inexperienced at the time of his appointment, Silas enjoyed a long and successful term at Ranwadi, and won a great deal of respect from those who worked with him. Silas Tabi served one year as Principal (2010). He is from the central part of Pentecost. 2011 saw another change in the administration of the college. Royal Bebe being the Acting Principal and Albert Bule being the Deputy Principal. Albert has served in this position since 2010. They are both young though but are doing well.
Curriculum
Ranwadi offers education from Year 9 to Year 13 (students aged between approximately 13 and 19 years), Until recently, Year 7 and 8 were also offered, but following a reform of Vanuatu education in 2008-2009, these years are now undertaken at primary school.Year 9 and 10 students ("juniors") follow a standard curriculum set by the Vanuatu Ministry of Education, culminating in national exams at the end of Year 10 which determine students' future progress. Year 11 and 12 students ("seniors") study towards Pacific Senior Secondary Certificates set by the Fiji-based exam board SPBEA. Year 13 students follow pre-university courses administered by the University of the South Pacific
University of the South Pacific
The University of the South Pacific is a public university with a number of locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. It is an international centre for teaching and research on Pacific culture and environment. USP's academic programmes are recognised worldwide, attracting students...
.
The language of instruction at Ranwadi is English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, although in informal settings, teachers and students mostly communicate in Bislama or their vernacular languages
Apma language
Apma is the language of central Pentecost island in Vanuatu. Apma belongs to the East Vanuatu languages, a branch of the Austronesian languages family....
.
Christianity is a major part of school life, with students attending twice-daily services in the chapel, in addition to other religious events such as Easter baptisms, which are held in the saltwater pool below the school. Helping students get to know Jesus is considered by many to be the school's number one priority.
Ranwadi also places a heavy emphasis on sports, and regularly comes in first or second place at the PISSA Games (a provincial inter-school tournament). The major sports played at the school are football, netball, volleyball, basketball and athletics.
Facilities
By Vanuatu standards, Ranwadi is extremely well resourced, thanks largely to donations from overseas aid agencies and other foreign benefactors. However, good maintenance of buildings and equipment is difficult due to the damp tropical climate and isolated location.The school buildings comprise ten ordinary classrooms, two science laboratories, four technology rooms, a computer room, a staff room, a large library, offices, a dining hall and kitchen, a chapel, a mechanic's workshop, a nurse's station, a small shop, boys' and girls' dormitories, and staff houses. Teachers' houses are located close to the main school buildings, while ancillary staff such as the driver, nurse and boarding master are housed on the shoreside strip below the school.
A large sports ground below the school, with a football pitch and two basketball/volleyball/netball courts, is shared by the school and the local community.
Small gardens around the school are used by students for agriculture classes, and fish ponds are under construction.
Electricity is provided in the evenings by a 40 kW diesel-powered generator. Smaller generators provide power during the day when needed for computers and photocopying, and the use of renewable energy is currently under investigation.
Unlike at typical locations in rural Vanuatu, most houses at Ranwadi have running water and flush toilets. Water is supplied from a spring on the mountainside above the school near Lalwori village, via a system of pipes and tanks which also serve neighbouring villages. Rainwater tanks collecting the run-off from roofs provide an additional source of water, as well as helping to prevent erosion, which is an issue in parts of the school.
Transport of students and supplies to and from the school occurs primarily by ship, although some also arrive by air from Port Vila and Santo, or by road from neighbouring parts of Pentecost. Cargo ships, which pass along the coast of Pentecost approximately twice per week, put ashore either at the beach by the school sports field (although access here is somewhat difficult due to the presence of a reef), or at nearby Vanuu (Waterfall Village). The school owns a 'truck' (four-wheel-drive utility vehicle) which is used for transport of staff, students and supplies to and from the landing point, the airport, the bank and hospital at nearby Melsisi, and other locations.