The Public Service Commission has announced the appointment of Sooalo Otila Sooalo as the new principal for Avele College.

His appointment was confirmed in a P.S.C. Circular Issue 09/2021 dated 4 March 2021 which was issued and circulated by the Commission.

Sooalo was previously the college’s Vice Principal and will now take over from his predecessor Matafeo Reupena Matafeo, who resigned last year to contest the 2021 General Election.

Samoa Observer contacted the new college principal for a comment but he declined.

The Avele College is Samoa’s oldest Government-owned educational institution, having been established in 1924 originally as a regional agricultural college.

The college has produced a large number of graduates in various trades for the economic and social sectors of Samoa over the past 97 years.

It has also become a breeding ground for Samoan sports stars as well as academics and leaders over the years. 

Samoan weightlifter Don Opeloge, a bronze medal winner at the Commonwealth Youth Games, is a graduate of the Avele College. 

The college will celebrate its diamond jubilee in 2024 when it turns 100 years old.

Matafeo is not the only candidate with an education background who is contesting the general election, and is among a group of former public servants who have put their hands up to run for public office.