University Education and Migration Experiences in the South Pacific Region: Survey of Tongans in Fiji
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Geographical Review of Japan Vol. 78, No. 12, 753-768, 2005 University Education and Migration Experiences in the South Pacific Region: Survey of Tongans in Fiji Raelyn Lolohea 'ESAU Graduate Student, Department of Geography, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan Abstract: This study examines the migration experiences of Tongan students and households in Fiji based on two separate surveys. The major findings obtained are summarized as follows. The student survey results elucidate that the decision to migrate for a university education was made on an individual basis, while the role of family and friends in disseminating information about the institution was conspicuous. The destination choice for university was influenced by the availability of scholarships for studying in Fiji. While a majority of students expect to return to Tonga to resume or find employment after completion of their studies, some also anticipated pursuing future graduate studies. The household survey findings confirm the important role of the nuclear family in decision making and reasons for migration while employers funded the migration expenses for most of the individuals. Their highest university degrees were acquired since the 1990s mainly from Fiji and Australian universities. A considerable portion of them are involved in such skilled occupations as education and administrative jobs at major institutions of the South Pacific region, mainly due to their higher educational attainment and work experience prior to migration to Fiji. As a result, they tended to have higher incomes. Key words: student migration, skilled migration, Tongan migrants, Republic of Fiji, Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific Region tively few. Introduction This paper constitutes a segment of ongoing researches by the author for the South Pacific The enhancement of human capital by inter region with special emphasis on international national student migration is usually regarded migration from Tonga to the Pacific Rim coun as a precursor of overseas skilled employment tries. Based on questionnaire and interview (Castles and Miller 2003: 171). Despite the sig surveys in Tonga with households that sent a nificance of student mobility in the twenty-first family member(s) overseas, 'Esau (2004) clari century, as demonstrated by SOPEMI (2001: 93; fied increases in migration motivated by study 2004: 36), the topic has been better documented ing abroad from Tonga in recent decades; how for the European region (for example, Balaz and ever, this paper was flawed because the data Willams 2004; King and Ruiz-Gelices 2003; was derived from sample households in Tonga, Findlay 2001; Salt 1997; Rhode 1993) and the but not entirely from the migrants themselves. Asia-Pacific region (for example, Castles and With such a drawback in mind, 'Esau (forth Miller 2003; Phillips and Stahl 2001; Castles coming) scrutinized the experiences of Tongan 1998) while investigations for other parts of the migrants in New Zealand. Major attention was world have been relatively late (Baryla and Dot devoted to job-related emigration (particularly terweich 2001; McHugh and Morgan 1984). unskilled/semi-skilled workers) in this paper. The South Pacific region consists of small is Hence, a significant role of student migration land countries; international student migration from Tonga, confirmed in 'Esau (2004), should is now considered to be a rite of passage in this be elucidated, for example in Fiji and not in region for those who aspire to overseas tertiary New Zealand, because student migration is re education, but detailed investigations are rela markable within the South Pacific region fo 753 150 'ESAU R. L. Figure 1. Map of Fiji and its geographical orientation with Tonga. cured on Fiji.1 mobility within the South Pacific region is not The historical relationship between Tonga particularly rich. In relation to this, the follow and Fiji dates back several centuries and em ing three problems from previous literature can phasizes significant cultural and socio be pointed out. economic ties. The first wave of Tongan migra First, existing literature tends to focus on tion to Fiji took place in the eighteenth century international migration from the South Pacific during the historical expansion period of the islands such as from Tonga to the Pacific Rim Tonga maritime empire to its neighbors includ countries (for example, Evans 2001; Fisi'iahi ing a part of Fiji. Those who remained settled 2001; Sudo 1997) such as New Zealand (Vete in the Lau group of islands located in the south 1995), United States (Forte 1994; Small 1997), western part of Fiji, which is geographically and Australia (Cowling 2002; Lee 2003; Tonga close to Tonga (see Figure 1). The second wave moa 1987); however, migration within this re of migration, dominated by students and young gion has generally been overlooked. Without a adults seeking educational and socio-economic fuller understanding of such intra-regional opportunities, began to trickle out of the coun migration, the human mobility of the region, try in the mid-twentieth century. This paper including Tonga as a whole, cannot be explores the migration experiences of the latter sufficiently elucidated. wave. Second, although nowadays Fiji is a sig Contemporary Fiji, owing to its physical size nificant center of higher education in the South and geographical proximity, serves as a re Pacific region, little has been documented ex gional hub for foreign Embassies, South Pacific cept by Yamanaka and Yoshida (1997). As is regional organizations2 and educational institu well known, student migration usually gives tions, and a nexus for the transit of air transpor rise to international human flows in subsequent tation between small Pacific islands. South Pa years; hence, to anticipate future migration pat cific regional organizations have attracted a terns and adopt an effective policy, if necessary, certain number of Tongan migrants during the student migration focusing on Fiji must be second half of the twentieth century to work clarified at this stage. and study in Fiji. Great transportation im Finally, migration literature on Fiji has provements between Fiji and Tonga since the tended to emphasize the brain drain and emi mid-twentieth century (Ward 1998) have gration of Fiji nationals (Rokoduru 2002) and strengthened Fiji's outstanding role as the hub the effects of political crises on Indo-Fijians (for of the South Pacific region. example, Bedford 1989; Reddy et al. 2002, 2004; Migration literature regarding contemporary Voigt-Graf 2003). In the meantime, the migra 754 University Education and Migration Experiences 151 tion of non-Fijian nationals to Fiji and their also contributed to the rise of student migration possible contributions to a solution to the brain from Tonga to Fiji since the 1990s; tuition in drain issue has been only partially explored Fiji is generally cheaper than in New Zealand (Liki 2001; Tu'imaleali'ifano 1987, 1990). and Australia. With the above problems of previous litera According to the latest statistics available in ture in mind, this article elucidates the migra 2003, since its establishment in 1968 the cumu tion experiences of Tongan university students lative enrollment for internal and external and households in Fiji based on structured study modes3 has exceeded 6,000 and 9,000, questionnaires and interview surveys con respectively, implying a generally increasing ducted in the destination country. Existing trend. Tongan student enrollment comprises literature has neglected such investigation. only 2% of the internal mode and 6% of the Therefore, two separate surveys for students external, while the bulk of enrollment is domi and households were given. nated by students of Fijian nationality with This article is organized as follows. After a 76% and 57% for the former and latter modes, brief explanation of the background, an outline respectively. Fijian and Tongan staff members of the two surveys conducted on Tongans in comprise 42.8% and 3.3%, respectively, Fiji is introduced. The highlighted results are whereas 41% of the overall total staff is from discussed in the two parts concerned with outside the south Pacific region (USP 2003). student migrants and migrant households. On the national level, Tonga has been con The final section summarizes the findings fronted with serious problems concerning its and presents their implications. human capital resources due to population de cline mainly from emigration. Annually, nearly Background Context 1,000 students complete secondary education and weigh the decision to leave the country to To achieve sustainable development in the undertake tertiary education overseas. Since South Pacific region, the development of hu scholarships from foreign governments as man resources ranks as one of the most impor Official Development Aid to Tonga are very tant items on the agendas of the regional level limited, private funding is more common. The (Haberkorn 2004a, b; Pacific Islands Forum Sec Tongan labor market is too small to provide retariat 2002, 2003; Secretariat of the Pacific jobs for the school leavers and the returning Community 2001) and the national level (James overseas graduates, and thus, as a result, a rise 1998; Tonga Government 2001). Thus, before in unemployment rates and international mo explaining the survey, the background context bility of human capital is inevitable. In this needs to be mentioned briefly. context Fiji is one of the destinations to which On the regional level, national governments human capital migrate for training or employ included in the region have focused on provid ment opportunities. The inadequate availabil ing elementary and secondary education for ity of migration macro data on Tonga is an residents while tertiary education is usually inevitable draw back. The latest available data pursued elsewhere either within or outside the based on arrival card data reported that in 1998 region. In response to various needs (including returning Tongan residents (18,071 persons) tertiary education) of the South Pacific nations, visited New Zealand (38%), the United States regional organizations such as the Forum Sec (15%), Australia (10%) and Fiji (9%).