Education in the Pacific Region

GPE provides support to the regional collaboration on education performed by the countries in the Pacific region, including Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Evangaliza attends primary school in Solomon Islands. 2016.
Evangaliza attends primary school in Solomon Islands. 2016.
Credit:
World Bank

The 12-year framework promotes equitable access to high quality education by all Pacific Islanders with a view to enable their countries to effectively deal with the development challenges facing the Pacific region.

The framework encourages inclusivity and opportunities for equal access to informal, primary, secondary and tertiary education and training. It focuses on education quality and the importance of working cooperatively in the region and beyond.

While Pacific countries integrate what they consider relevant parts of the PacREF into their national education policies, programs and practices, the framework also acts a tool to identify and understand similarities and differences across the region. It offers organizing mechanisms for sector planning, reporting and collaboration, and gives development partners an understanding of where the region's resourcing priorities lie.

The PacREF has four key policy areas to maximize gains in student learning outcomes and wellbeing:

  • Quality and relevance: Provide all learners with a safe and supportive environment, within which they are offered high quality learning opportunities that are meaningful, valuable, inclusive and future-focused.
  • Learning pathway: Provide all learners equal access to multiple and seamless pathways and modalities of learning that will allow them to meet their full potential.
  • Student outcomes and wellbeing: Make sure all learners acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attributes to enable them to contribute to their families, communities and to nation building.
  • The teaching profession: Support and empower teachers through opportunities for continuous development, shared understanding and accountability.

The PacREF is divided into three 4-year phases to facilitate in-depth program review by the education ministers.

The coordinating agencies for the Pacific region are the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the University of the South Pacific.

Regional grants

Six countries (Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu) have decided to combine their GPE implementation grant allocation into a regional grant totalling $14.9 million. The grant supports the implementation of the PacREF Program, together with New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the PacREF implementing agencies and other development partners. The GPE grant covers 85% of the total costs of the PacREF Program, which supports all 15 Pacific countries.

PacREF implementing agencies, namely SPC (Pacific Community), USP (University of the South Pacific), UNESCO, UNICEF and APTC (Australia Pacific Training Coalition), provide technical support for the development and implementation of these tools and services, while countries are expected to make the best use of them to improve their national education systems, as well as enhance Pacific regionalism.

The region received two other regional grants from GPE:

  • A $200,000 education sector plan development grant (2017-2018)
  • A $390,000 program development grant (2020-2021).

Country grants

Country Partnership compact Grant type Years Amount Grant agent
Fiji Document System capacity 2022-2023 $587,879 UNICEF
Kiribati Document System capacity 2023-2024 $682,023 UNICEF
COVID-19 2020-2022 $750,000 UNICEF
Sector plan development 2019-2021 $499,768 UNICEF
Sector plan development 2015-2016 $200,000 UNICEF
Marshall Islands Document System capacity 2023-2024 $670,554 UNICEF
COVID-19 2020-2022 $750,000 UNICEF
Sector plan development 2018-2020 $225,237 ADB
Sector plan development 2016-2017 $138,441 ADB
Federated States of Micronesia Document System capacity 2023-2024 $802,084 UNICEF
Program implementation 2021-2024 $2,500,000 UNICEF
COVID-19 2020-2022 $750,000 UNICEF
Program development 2020-2021 $297,213 UNICEF
Sector plan development 2018-2020 $235,695 ADB
Sector plan development 2016-2017 $180,965 ADB
Papua New Guinea System capacity 2022-2025 $700,000 UNICEF
Program implementation and Multiplier 2022-2024 $8,020,000 Save the Children Australia
COVID-19 2020-2022 $9,440,000 UNICEF
Program implementation and Multiplier 2019-2022 $3,000,000 Save the Children UK
Program development 2018 $127,770 Save the Children UK
Program implementation 2011-2015 $19,200,000 World Bank
Samoa Document System capacity 2023-2024 $594, 974 UNICEF
COVID-19 2020-2022 $750,000 UNICEF
Solomon islands Document System capacity 2024-2027 $1,478,483 UNICEF
COVID-19 2020-2022 $750,000 UNICEF
Sector plan development 2020-2022 $358,374 UNICEF
Tonga Document System capacity 2023-2025 $40,000 Save the Children Australia
Program development 2023-2024 $200,000 World Bank
System capacity 2022-2025 $700,000 Save the Children Australia
Accelerated funding 2022-2023 $300,000 Save the Children Australia
COVID-19 2020-2021 $749,982 Save the Children Australia
Tuvalu Document System capacity 2023-2024 $490,407 UNICEF
COVID-19 2020-2022 $750,000 UNICEF
Vanuatu Document System capacity 2023 $150,000 Save the Children Australia
Program implementation and Multiplier 2021-2023 $3,000,204 Save the Children Australia
COVID-19 2020-2021 $750,000 Save the Children UK
Accelerated funding 2020 $499,796 Save the Children UK
Program development 2020 $174,816 Save the Children UK
Sector plan development 2017-2019 $455,690 UNICEF

For additional information, please contact GPE Secretariat's country team lead for the Pacific region: Daisuke Kanazawa

Latest blogs and news