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NMTI wants to open for PSS students
Agnes McPhetres, chief executive officer of the Northern Marianas Technical Institute, wants to open up the school to accommodate students from the Public School System, while also proposing to open the institute in three phases for its students.
During the NMTI regular board meeting last Wednesday, McPhetres told the board of directors that Da’ok Academy is the school’s only source of additional income and the only one keeping their institute running. This is because Da’ok Academy is renting parts of the NMTI building, which is why McPhetres wants NMTI to be opened to PSS and to strengthen their partnership with PSS—as an additional means of revenue.
This comes as McPhetres is pushing for the reopening of NMTI in phases: Phase 1 would involve classes that are essential and can start immediately. Included in this are the classes in March that were suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. McPhetres wanted to resume those classes so students can complete the modules.
At the same time, NMTI has an outstanding arrangement with PSS over some courses. “We have a commitment that we have to do immediately. For example, we have a contract with PSS for electrical and maintenance courses. We have not fulfilled that obligation. They are under Phase 1 and I would like as much as possible that they could continue,” she said.
As for the other phases, Phase 2 and Phase 3, McPhetres did not clarify what these phases entail; she said these will be discussed at the next board meeting on Dec. 8.
McPhetres added that they have some leftover CNMI-Only Transitional Worker funds, which will allow them to reopen as soon as possible.
While the online registration is still in the works, McPhetres has asked the instructors to contact their students in order to give them the idea of how many students are willing to register for the new term, which she suggested in January.
