Caption: Solomon Islands classroom.

Pacific Regional Education

2007/2008 allocation: $2.5 million

Snapshot

NZAID's Pacific regional education programme provides support for initiatives related to basic education and, secondary education, in line with the agency’s Education Policy. In addition, NZAID provides core funding to the University of the South Pacific (USP) and to the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA).

NZAID priorities

The Pacific regional education programme is guided by NZAID's Education Strategy, and works within the approach of relationships being partner driven, results-oriented, comprehensive (programme-based), prioritised (sustainable), partnership oriented (alignment and harmonisation), and taking a long-term perspective.

The key elements of the Education Strategy for the Pacific are:

Increase support for basic education, with priority on the Education For All (EFA) Goals and the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for universal primary education and the elimination of gender disparities.
Support strengthened leadership in Pacific education to improve quality and relevance.

NZAID's Education Strategy gives high priority to the effective delivery of basic education services in the Pacific. This aligns to the Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP), developed by Pacific Ministers of Education. In endorsing the FBEAP, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the goals of the Dakar 2000 Education for All (EFA) goals. This Pacific Vision aims to achieve universal and equitable educational participation and achievement, to ensure universal access and equity, and to improve the quality and outcomes of basic education by 2015. Ministers agreed that there was an urgent need for each country, in line with national development goals and commitments, to improve basic educational planning. To this end, the Pacific Regional Initiative for the Implementation and Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) was developed as the major mechanism for implementing FBEAP.

In line with these priorities, the Pacific regional education programme supports a number of initiatives that address strengthening education planning and delivery of basic education; improving educational outcomes through student-centred learning techniques, rethinking Pacific education by Pacific peoples, and research into the linkages between sustainable livelihoods and education.

At the post-basic and tertiary level, NZAID provides:

University of the South Pacific (USP) with $4 million per annum split between Core Funding ($2.6m) and Programme Funding ($1.4m), and is based on the priorities outlined in the strategic direction of the University. In addition to this funding, USP receives specific NZAID-project funding and funding for approximately 400 students from around the Pacific region to study at USP.
Core funding of $350,000 annually to the South Pacific Board of Educational Assessment (SPBEA) to assist the organisation with the provision of training and support to examiners moderators, prescription writers, teachers and qualifications administrators as requested by member countries. During this process of support and training, SPBEA aims to make the member countries aware of new and current methods of assessment.

NZAID on the ground

The Pacific Regional Initiative for the Implementation and Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) was developed as the major mechanism for implementing FBEAP, with a focus on strengthening education planning and delivery, and on facilitating donor coordination in the education sector. It aims to address common problems affecting the implementation of the FBEAP and the achievement of the EFA Goals in the Pacific, whilst complementing national education priorities.

PRIDE was designed in consultation with key regional agencies involved in education, national education departments in the 14 project countries and donor agencies, including New Zealand. NZAID has committed $5 million to PRIDE over 2004/2005 to 2007/08.

The mid-term review undertaken last year found that PRIDE has provided substantial benefits at the country-level, that its support is consistent with national priorities, and that it has a role in improving the quality of basic education through strengthening of the education planning and implementation processes in participating Pacific countries.