Konai Helu Thaman
Konai Helu Thaman is from Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. She is the author of five collections of poetry: You, the Choice of My Parents (1974); Langakali (1981); Hingano (1987); Kakala (1993); and Songs of Love: New and Selected Poems (1999). She earned a BA from the University of Auckland; an MA in international education from the University of California, Santa Barbara; and a PhD in education from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji, where she is a professor. She has conducted research, served as a consultant, and published widely in the areas of teacher education, curriculum development, and culture and education and has held senior administrative positions at the USP, including director of the Institute of Education, pro vice chancellor, and acting deputy vice chancellor. Thaman is a fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development and has served as the UNESCO chairperson in Teacher Education and Culture.