SAMOA JOINS FORCES WITH FIJI AIRWAYS —

Samoa's prime minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi has confirmed his country has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fiji's national airline as it prepares to resume flights between Samoa, New Zealand and Australia.

Tuilaepa didn't give any details about the MOU in parliament but said airfares between Samoa and New Zealand and Australia were too high and the two airlines currently serving the routes were controlling airfares through partnerships.

He said a commission that studied airline options recommended that Polynesian airlines go into a joint venture with another airline to provide flights from Samoa to the two destinations, at an affordable price.

The Prime Minister said Samoa has now signed an MOU with Fiji airways where the national airline will work with Fiji Airways to provide flight services and not compete on routes.

Tuilaepa said Polynesian's name will be changed to Samoa Airways.

He said the country's airline should bear the name of Samoa so that people know the airline belongs to Samoa.

He said the reason why Polynesian was used before was because the airline was intended to fly to different Polynesian islands at a time when there were few airlines flying.

(Source: RNZ]

KINDERGARTEN KIDS EARN MORE IN LATER LIFE - STUDY

People who went to playcentre or kindergarten in the early 1980s are now earning thousands of dollars more than those who did not, a report from the Christchurch Health and Development Study show.

The Otago University project has found a persistent link between early childhood education more than 35 years ago and better academic achievement, higher incomes and more consistent employment in later life.

The report said 95 percent of the 1265 people in the study attended some form of early childhood education with 85 percent attending for more than a year, and nearly a third for two years or more.

The participants were born in mid-1977 and 93 percent attended early education between the ages of four and five years old, with 70 percent going to kindergarten and 17 percent to playcentre.

The report said those with two to three years of early childhood education were earning on average $50,200 a year by the age of 30, compared with $43,000 for those with none and $45,400 for those with less than one year of early education.

They had better verbal and maths skills than other children at school, were more likely to go to university, and had higher average academic achievement by the age of 30.

They were also less likely to become a parent or commit a property or violent crime during their teens.

The report said the better outcomes were likely the result of higher secondary school achievement of those who attended early childhood education.

Report lead author John Horwood said the key benefits now for people who participated in early childhood education in the early 1980s were in their socio-economic well-being.

"You will have had a slightly higher income trajectory across your life-course, probably slightly greater participation in paid employment across the life-course and those differences, they're not huge but they're consistent in the long-term, are going to translate into greater long-term well-being."

"What we see is clear evidence of small but pervasive benefits for a range of cognitive and academic attainment," he said.

"Children who attended early childhood education for two years or longer, did better at high school and scored slightly better on measures of cognitive ability and as adults they tended to come out being slightly better off socio-economically, have slightly higher incomes, be more likely to be participating in the paid workforce and so on."

Mr Horwood said there was far less evidence of long-term benefits in the participants' social and behavioral lives.

(Source: RNZ]

SACRIFICES ARE A MUST WHEN IT COMES TO FAMILY

That is the motto Peti Laulu lives by, when it comes to taking care of his mother and younger siblings. 

At the age of 17, Peti is already working and providing financial assistance.

“Being the eldest, means it’s your responsibility to take care of the family especially when the head of the family is no longer in the picture,” he said. 

The Village Voice met up with Peti when he just got off from work and was walking home. 

“My parents split in 2012 and I was only 15. I was in year 11 but had to quit school and look for a job to provide for my family. To be honest, school was a bit too much for me, so it was a win-win situation for me. 

“My mother has never worked her whole life and so I was not going to let her work. “I had to man up and be the man of the house and so every Friday, once I get my pay, my mom gets all of it,” he said. 

Peti said that having little or something, nothing at all, makes you appreciate the small things like just being able to provide for your family. 

“I don’t make much but knowing that my mom and my family depend on me, that is my motivation right there.... that is why I work hard to make sure my family gets food on the table, water and electricity. 

“Other people think that I’m too young to be working, but I don’t really consider what they say. 

“At the end of the day, I’m the one that the family depends on and what people say won’t feed my mom and siblings. “So as long as I’m employed, I will continue to do my duty and that is to take care of my mother and siblings. 

“I make sure my brothers and sister attend school, pay for their school fees and give them what they need and just seeing my mother happy and not frustrated, that’s my goal,” said Peti. 

The 17-year-old is into carpentry but he’s currently working for a tent rental company. 

“I’m looking for a carpentry opportunity, that is what I’m good at and its what I love to do, but I’ve settled for the tent rental company so I can provide for my family,” said Peti. 

The young carpenter can be reached at 766-3326, if you want to offer him a job in his field.

[Source: Samoa Observer]