Dr. Martin Vitousek, Ph.D.
Obituary



President Tabai's 1981 Visit
to Bairau Village at English
Harbour, Tabuaeran
click to enlarge (68 kb)

TABUAERAN (FANNING) ATOLL
The Cable Station School

(Kiribatese photos circa 1981)
 

Headmaster


Assistant Headmaster


Property Manager


(l to r) skipper, carpenter, mechanic, painter

Morning Exercises

Class Rooms

Blackboard Instruction
   
 
(l to r) apprentice, supervisor, driver, teacher

Introduction to the Cable Station School

It is understood that the Cable Station School was established in the late 1960s by the late Dr. Martin Vitousek, Ph.D., and served the children who lived on Napari Islet in the Kiribatese village which adjoins the Cable Station; a photograph of Dr. Vitousek and a link to his obituary are presented in the left margin.  Above are photos of the headmaster leading the children in the morning physical exercises in front of the telegraphic cable relay building, as well as various photos of the assistant headmaster, property manager, and several of the Kiribatese staff who were directly employed in running the Cable Station and thus were directly or indirectly involved in running the school too.  The classrooms were located on the second floor of the main telegraphic cable relay building and separated into cubicles for each of the various grades.  The Cable Station school was visited by Kiribati's first president, the Honorable Iremia Tabai, when he visited Tabuaeran (Fanning) atoll in 1981, at which time he also met with the Atoll Institute's chairman and president; a photograph of the Honorable President Tabai meeting the various island officials is presented in the left margin.

The Proposed Cable Station School Expansion

As part of the Atoll Institute's proposal, the Cable Station school facilities would be renovated as part of the Phase I operations, and a separate new school building made-to-order would be built as part of the Phase II operations.  A quality education will be essential for the children's future, and is entirely consistent with the educational mandate of the Atoll Institute.  Furthermore, programs are conceived of that would provide secondary and post-secondary degrees for them in conjunction with educational institutions in the South Pacific and North America via the Internet and correspondence.