Through its tuition scholarship programme,COL seeks to address one of the most pressing legal needs in the Pacific – the demand for high quality legislative drafters. Seventeen COL-sponsored students from six Pacific countries graduated from the 2018 Legislative Drafting Programme offered through the University of the South Pacific and a further 18 have enrolled for 2019.

Graduates from the programme report that without the scholarship and the access to online materials they would not have been able to complete the programme. Recent graduate Edward Eterika explained, “For me, it would have been quite difficult to undertake the programme without the COL scholarship as I already had student loan debt from my previous programmes. Most of my salary goes into taking care of my family’s needs and I did not have the luxury of saving enough money to accommodate for further studies. When I was offered a scholarship by COL it was like a light at the end of a dark tunnel for me.” Fellow graduate, Shaheen Ali commented, “As an online student, the programme allowed me to work, spend time with family and complete assisgnments at my own pace.”

The programme is delivered using flexible learning strategies. These include CD-ROM and online materials developed with support from COL, face-to-face tutorials, video conferencing, and a residential workshop.

Graduates of the programme hold a wide variety of legal and government positions, including crown counsel, legal officers, magistrates, police officers, academics, solicitors, and members of parliament.