shark uni

WHY? Because paying for education is a motivation to fish sharks & receiving education is a way out of fishing sharks- so we are investing in the future! Our students have been selected based on their involvement or relationship to the shark fin trade and generations of fishermen…

On the 7th of September, we met with the headmaster and co-ordinator administrator of local university, Lombok Tourism Polotechnics. This is one of six universities, but the first of its kind to open on the island of Lombok. They focus on training and preparing students for careers in tourism. This school was decided to be the best place for students from the island of fishermen to complete a university degree that allowed them future opportunities. Upon meeting with the administration office, we learned that it would be easy for us to make payments and monitor student attendance and progress. Project Hiu assesses student eligibility using the following criteria...

• Completion of early learning to a certain level

•  Relation to employed captain contracted with Project Hiu (as a way to incentivise tourism transition and alleviate financial strain that pushes parents into fishing)

•  Desire to attend university (it will be optional for families)

•  Ability to exist in boarding school without cultural expectations to remain present and care for other family members

•  Meeting with current teachers on the island in regards to that child's performance and learning abilities

• Completion of standardised tests required by the University for student attendance

We carefully examined the students and chose our first two to receive an academic scholarship, Habil and Haerul. Habil is the son of a shark-fishing captain whose main drive for fishing is his son's University tuition. Haeru is a crew member on board a shark fishing vessel on a wage of around $50AUD a week. On September 15th, they took their first tour of the school to ensure attendance is their dream as well as ours. The families and students were able to visit the school to ask questions and see the facilities. Both students will begin their studies in 2023.

Habil & Haeru signing their contracts for university.