Country Profile: Micronesia

Geography

Area	total: 702 sq km (about 270 sq. mi.) land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie)
Capital (2003 est.)	Palikir (11,600)
Largest city	N/A
Other large cities	Kolonia, Weno, Colonia, Lelu
Climate	Tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage. Terrain: islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk.
Time Difference	UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

People

Nationality	noun: Micronesian(s) adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese
Population	107,154 (CIA, July 2010 est.) or 111,100 (UN, 2010)
Annual population growth rate (CIA-2010 est.)	-0.284%
Age Structure (2010 est.)	0-14 years: 34.8% (male 19,010/female 18,411) 15-64 years: 62.3% (male 33,286/female 33,629) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 1,317/female 1,781)
Urbanization (2005-10 est.)	urban population: 22% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change
Ethnic groups (2000 census)	Chuukese 48.8%, Pohnpeian 24.2%, Kosraean 6.2%, Yapese 5.2%, Yap outer islands 4.5%, Asian 1.8%, Polynesian 1.5%, other 6.4%, unknown 1.4%
Languages	English (official and common language), Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi
Religion (2000 Census)	Roman Catholic 52.7%, Congregational 40.1%, Baptist 0.9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 0.7%, other 3.8%, none or unspecified 0.8%
Life expectancy (2010 est.)	total population: 71.23 years male: 69.32 years female: 73.24 years
Infant mortality rate (2010 est.)	total: 25.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.45 deaths/1,000 live births

Government

Government type	Constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force on 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004
Head of State	Head of State and Head of Government: President HE Emanuel Mori
Independence	3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
Constitution	10 May 1979
Legal system	Based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal
Administrative divisions	4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap

Education

Literacy (age 15 and over can read & write) (1980 est.)	total population: 89% male: 91% female: 88%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)	N/A
Years compulsory	7 (starting at 6)
Primary to secondary transition rate	N/A
Female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) - Tertiary Education as a % for School year ending 20XX	N/A
Male Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) - Tertiary Education as a % for School year ending 20XX	N/A
Education expenditure (2000)	7.3% of GDP
Distribution(%) of public expenditure per level (2010)	N/A
Researchers per 1,000,000 inhabitants (FTE)	N/A
Expenditure on R&D as a % of GDP	N/A
Percentage distribution of gross domestic expenditure on research and development by source	N/A

ICT

Telephones - main lines in use (2008)	8,700
Telephones - mobile cellular (2008)	34,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Telephone system	general assessment: adequate system domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; mobile-cellular service available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002)
International dialling code	+691
Internet domain	.fm
Internet hosts (2010)	3,097
Internet users (2008)	16,000
Internet users per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Computers per 100 inhabitants	N/A
TV sets per 100 people	N/A

Overview

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a collection of 607 islands in the western region of the Pacific. With a total land surface area of just over 700 square kilometres, the general region encompasses a total of approximately 3 million square kilometres of ocean and provides a home for a population of approximately 110,000 people. The islands consist of a mixture of volcanic outcrops to coral atolls and the group is sited at the edge of the typhoon belt, thus experiencing frequent heavy rains and high humidity.

Economically, the FSM has a small but diverse primary industry sector with produce from both the land and the ocean. A secondary industry in the form of clothing manufacture also exists.

The nation is actually four separate self-governing states: Kosnau, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Yap. Each has it own constitution and parliament. Entering into a Compact of Free Association with the United Stated of America (U.S.) in 1986, the nation has benefitted from the provision of military defence, substantial aid and privileges of entry for its citizens to live and work into the U.S. In return, the U.S is permitted to operate military bases in the region.

While English is the official language of education and trade, Chuukese, Yapese, Pohnpein, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi are also spoken. The region is predominantly Christian, with Roman Catholicism being the most widely accepted and attended church group.

Brief History

The region was originally settled around 2,000 B.C. by the ancestors of the Micronesian peoples, with later interaction and intermarriage with Polynesians. Early ruling was according to a local chieftain system that later evolved to a more regionally-based structure.

Contact with Europeans is first recorded as occurring with Portuguese and then Spanish sea-farers and traders in the 16^th century. The Spanish soon established sovereignty and governed the territories from the Philippines until the end of the 19^th century. The Germans purchased the islands from Spain and governed them until 1919, and they were handed over to the Japanese at the end of World War I. Both the Japanese and Germans tried to inculcate a vigorous work ethic, as is commonplace in both these nationalities, but with limited success.

At the end of World War II, the region became known as the United Nations Trust Territories along with six other nations/regions administered by the U.S. In 1979, four of these combined to form a single confederation of states as the FSM, adopted a constitution and later proclaimed independence with the agreement to enter into a 20 year Compact of Free Association with the US. The US then declared the earlier Trust Territories agreements defunct. In 2004, the FSM and US entered into a further 20 year compact involving over $3 billion (U.S.) in aid, much of this being diverted into trust investments to consolidate the region’s finances for the period following the compact.

Governance

The government of FSM is structured along U.S. lines with a Legislative, Executive and Judicial branch. Each of the four constituent states has its own elected governor, lieutenant governor and a unicameral parliament, except for Chuuk, which has a bicameral parliament. The FSM itself has a 14 member National Congress that appoints a President and Vice-President. Governmental functions are overseen by an appointed cabinet led by the President and Vice-President. The FSM oversees all aspects of government except for security and defence, which are provided by the U.S.

All adult FSM citizens over the age of 18 are entitled to vote in elections.

Education System

The education system of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is based on a United States model. There are four levels: Early Childhood Education (ECE) for ages 3–5, Elementary for ages 6-13 (Grades 1–8), Secondary for ages 14–18 (Grades 9–12) and Post-Secondary.

Although participation rates are relatively high by Pacific standards, enrolment in secondary education is low. This is due to two reasons. The first is that education is compulsory only until Grade 8 or when the student turns 15. The second is that High School entrance tests in Grade 8 push-out a large proportion of the secondary school-aged population.

The FSM National Department of Education (NDOE) sets standards, while the State Departments of Education (SDOEs) are responsible for curriculum and instruction.

a) School Education

Upon establishment of FSM government in 1979 a Division of Education was created as part of the Department of Social Services. In 1992, FSM's Congress passed PL 7-97, which called for the establishment of a full-fledged Department of Education, complete with four divisions: Curriculum, Standards, Testing, and Evaluation; Vocational Education Manpower Development and Training; Postsecondary and Scholarship; and Federal Community and Foreign Assistance. In 1991, the National Literacy Act was passed which allowed for the creation of the FSM Adult Education Program two years later. The program offers adult education and literacy training to adults in Micronesia.

Micronesia joined UNESCO on October 19, 1999 and is covered by the Organization's Office in Apia in Samoa. As of September 2006, Micronesia has 3 schools participating in UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet).

Pre-Primary Level

Since 2005, the State Departments of Education took effective responsibility for the public-provision of early childhood education. There were 71 early childhood centres in the FSM in 2009.

Primary Level

In 2009, there were 155 elementary schools in the FSM.

Secondary Level

There were 28 secondary schools in the FSM in 2009.

Non-Government Schools

Religious schools are an essential part of the country’s education system. The FSM Government partly funds religious schools and exercises overall supervisory control. The main religious providers are the Roman Catholic Church, the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Calvary Baptist Church. A number of Protestant denominations are also active in the field.

A handful of private schools, such as the Pohnpei Agricultural and Trade School (PATS) and the Jesuit-run Xavier High School in Chuuk, have an extremely high reputation. Although both these institutions are four-year High Schools, the former is primarily concerned with vocational education, while the Xavier High School aims to provide an academic education for future leaders of society.

To operate in FSM, a private school must apply for a charter from the Government.

b) Vocational education and training (VET)

The College of the Federated States of Micronesia (COM-FSM) is the major tertiary education provider in the country. COM-FSM has a national campus located on Pohnpei and State Campuses in each of the FSM states. The COM-FSM offers associate degree and certificate-level programs in a range of subjects, as well as short training programs.

The COM-FSM operates a Fisheries and Maritime Institute (FMI) in Yap State. The FMI provides two-year, certificate level vocational courses in navigation, marine engineering and fishing technology. Although the FMI has been in existence since 1999, the demand for its courses is extremely low. Enrolments in 2009 were only 37 students.

The Pohnpei Agricultural and Trade School offers TVET programs in the construction and building trades, mechanics, agricultural science and aquaculture aimed at secondary-aged students.

c) Higher Education (HE)

COM-FSM also offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education in conjunction with the University of Guam.

Overview of Distance Education (DE)

The Federated States of Micronesia have not been a focus for major distance education initiatives. There is no evidence of distance education at the school level. There are no home-grown DE institutions that fulfil the role performed by the University of the South Pacific in its twelve Pacific member-states. However, the satellite-based PEACESAT network has been used for decade to provide professional development courses for health workers, teachers and technicians. The lack of bandwidth limits the feasibility of synchronous delivery of online training over much of the FSM. However, Web-conferencing packages, such as Elluminate, have been used with success on a small scale.

The COM-FSM offers distance education to overcome the distance between islands. This “may include but not restricted to traditional postal airmails, fax, telephone, and newer technologies like, E-mail, Internet, Videoconferencing or even short-wave transmitters. Currently, the College is trying to network all its campus, a further step toward online studies and videoconferencing”. The College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, USA.

A number of US-based universities have provided DE courses in the FSM, often in conjunction with the COM-FSM. Many of these initiatives have been on a pilot basis, but there are a number of more substantial programs. COM-FSM offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education in conjunction with the University of Guam. The Center for Pacific Studies at the State University of San Diego also offers special education teacher training through DE for students at COM-FSM.

For a number of years, the University of Hawai‘i has offered Telecommunications and Information Resource Management (TIRM) Graduate Certificate Program in the FSM and other US-aligned states in the Pacific.

The Hawai‘i-based Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) and its partner organizations have delivered a number of short-courses on professional development.

Administration and finance

The main funding for education comes from the United States Government under the provisions of the Compact of Free Association. FSM has free public education from the ages 6 to 15 years or completion of the 8th grade. UNESCO reports that FSM spends more than 6% of their GDP on education (2005).

Despite US financial support, the FSM education system is currently under strain. There is a shortage of trained teachers. In 2009, 36% of teachers were unqualified. Education facilities differ from school to school. Some newer schools are in relatively good condition. Others are in extremely poor repair.

The existence of State-level Departments of Education has a number of implications for the system. The most benign of these are slight differences in the school hierarchy between the States. Elementary Schools in Korsrae State teach grades 1–9. The only secondary school in the State—Kosrae High School—teaches grades 10–12. There are also 8 Middle Schools in Chuuk State teaching grades 1–10. More serious are the differences in schools standards and the conditions of schools in the different states

Higher Education Reforms

The College of Micronesia-FSM is currently on warning from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The ACCJC has requested that the College take a number of steps to improve the College’s institutional effectiveness and governance. These mandated steps include the requirement that the College prepare plans in the areas such as the communication, finance, technology, budget-planning and facilities management. The College of Micronesia-FSM will be subject to a visitation by the ACCJC in April 2011.

Future Direction of Tertiary Education

The future direction of tertiary education in the FSM is uncertain. While the FSM has attempted to establish modern communication technology that can be utilized to offer adult education programs to the outlying areas and some outer islands through the use of distance education, at present distance education can only be achieved in the State centres where electricity and other necessary technologies are available. In some States of the FSM, roads have been built accessing the remote villages, while for others States, lagoon islands in Chuuk and outer islands in Chuuk, Pohnpei and Yap continue to require boats and ships for access. Most of the outer islands do not have electricity, making it very difficult to set up technology effectively. Even though they may have electric generators, these are not very reliable. Site band radios (if they are operable) remain the only means of communication to the outer islands other than monthly (and sometimes longer) boat access.

The College of Micronesia-FSM is currently undergoing a process of restructuring which is expected to lead to some loss of staff. In addition, the College is faced with the possibility of losing its WASC accreditation.

The College has been in this situation before. In 2004, the College was given a warning by the WASC, although this warning was removed in 2005. The institutional deficiencies in terms of governance and planning indentified in 2004 do not appear to have been rectified and are the subject of the renewed warning in 2010.

Information and Communications Technology Initiatives

As elsewhere in the Pacific, the FSM has a monopoly provider of telecommunications:

Federated States of Micronesia Telecommunications Corporation (FSMTC). FSMTC is a public corporation and the sole provider of mobile, fixed line and Internet telecommunications. Despite FSMTC’s position, telecommunications infrastructure in the FSM compares well with that in many other Pacific states. In 2010, Pohnpei was connected to the Internet using undersea cable, providing a growing number of businesses and households on the island with high-speed Internet access. FSMTC intends to provide domestic cable networks to connect Kosrae, Chuuk and Yap in the future.

As recently as 2008, it was estimated that only 14% of the population had Internet access in any form. Although the figure is likely to be much higher, Internet access is still a scarce commodity outside the island of Pohnpei. Satellite-based links are still significant, despite the low bandwidth these provide.

The low level of Internet access before 2010 has inhibited the development of ICT-based distance education, with the exception of courses delivered by satellite (see below).

a) Information society strategy

The Division of Communication is responsible to the Permanent Secretary (Minister) for all telecommunications matters, which include administration and management of the radio spectrum (licensing), development of policy, coordination and development of the National ICT Plan. The Assistant Secretary of Communications is responsible for the Division of Communication.

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): January 6, 2010 - The Department of Transportation, Communication and Infrastructure in partnerships with the ITU ICB4PAC Project and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), under its ICT Out Reach Program for the Pacific Region, conducted visits to all FSM states from December 14-21, 2010, to consult with relevant stakeholders on the country’s proposed National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Plan. (http://www.fsmpio.fm/releases.html)

b) Major e-learning initiatives

The Federated States of Micronesia are part of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Oceania initiative. This initiative appears to be in any early stage in the FSM.

c) Benchmarking e-learning

None identified.

d) Support for OER

None identified.

e) Government entities

Federated States of Micronesia Department of Education

Chuuk Department of Education

Kosrae Department of Education

Pohnpei Department of Education

Yap Department of Education

f) Associations and networks

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL)

Pan-Pacific Education and Communication Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT)

g) Distance Education journals

None identified.

Interesting Distance Education Initiatives

PREL and the University of Hawai‘i College of Education developed a two-year online distance learning program in the field of educational evaluation: the Regional Education Master’s Online Training in Evaluation (REMOTE). REMOTE is intended to build the capacity of Pacific educators to formally evaluate programs and to apply the results of these evaluations in practice. The program is also designed specifically to meet the needs of evaluators in the Pacific region. REMOTE has been delivered to senior FSM educators and has played an important part of the capacity-building process across the US-affiliated states of the Pacific. REMOTE is funded by a grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF).

The FSM are one of the Pacific nations which are served by PEACESAT. Based in Hawaii, PEACESAT has been existence since 1971. PEACESAT provides satellite-based video-conferencing to US-affiliated states in the region. In addition, it has conducted ongoing research in policy, planning and technology issues relevant to Pacific nations. Although the PEACESAT network has been used for a number of purposes, including telehealth, one of the major uses of the facility has been for the delivery of DE. Over the last thirty years, PEACESAT has delivered dozens of programs, large and small to the people of the FSM. However, the future of PEACESAT is unclear. The PEACESAT network has limited bandwidth capacity and will eventually be rendered obsolete by the spread of cable and fibre-optic connections in FSM and other US-affiliated states in the Pacific.

Quality Assurance

Secretariat of the Pacific Board of Education Assessment (SPBEA)

The mandates of PL 7-97 (which replaced the Education Division in 1992) created the Department of Education with the Office of the Secretary, Support Staff and four (4) main divisions: Curriculum, Standards, Testing & Evaluation, Postsecondary & Scholarship, Vocational Education' Manpower Development & Training, and, finally Federal' Community & Foreign Assistances Program.

FSMC Title 40-Education is the stated Policy for Education. Within this policy, schools need to be accredited to be acknowledged by the FSM National Government. This means that schools have met the required minimum standards. The Secretary of the Department of Education of the Federated States of Micronesia is responsible for establishing, in cooperation and consultation with the State Boards of Education and the State Directors of Education, National Curriculum Minimum Standards. State Departments of Education and Boards of Education shall ensure that the National Curriculum Minimum Standards are implemented through their State Curriculum framework.

The Secretary of Education and the State Boards of Education may also set minimum standards for home learning.

Regulatory and Policy Framework

The regulatory framework in the FSM consists almost entirely of the provisions of the FSM Code. Education falls under the policy by FSMC Title 40-Education. This policy provides authority to the Secretary of the Department of Education to manage all aspects of education across the FSM. The Secretary of the Department of Education also consults with each island’s State Departments of Education leader. All children are required to attend school until the 8^th standard.

While no specific policy was found, in the FSM’s Master Plan 2011, a distance learning plan is mentioned with specific reference to Distance Education. Likewise, the FSM EDUCATION FOR ALL 2015 National Plan indicates the intention to use distance learning programs as a major mechanism for improving quality of teaching and other staff and develop infrastructure to facilitate distance learning programmes.

a) International Regulatory or Policy Frameworks

The College of Micronesia-FSM is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Signatory to following global initiatives:

Education for All (EFA)

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

United Nations Literacy Decade

UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Education

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)

b) Regional Agreements

Pacific Islands Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP)

Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of basic Education (PRIDE) Project

Pacific Education for Sustainable Development Framework

Pacific Education Development Framework (PEDF) 2009-2015

The Pacific Plan (the Pacific Plan Task Force is managed by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General)

c) National Regulations or Policy

College of MicronesiaFSM Act of 1992

National Literacy Act of 1991

Code of the Federated States of Micronesia. Title 40. Education

FSM Strategic Plan for Improvement of Education

FSM EDUCATION FOR ALL 2015 National Plan

FSM National Youth Policy 2004-2010

FSM Content Standards

Vocational Education and Training

The FSM Adult Education Program (FSM/AEP) was established in 1993 through a $US100,000 grant allocated under the National Literacy Act of 1991 (U.S. PL 102-73). Its six primary stated goals were to

Provide comprehensive Adult Education instructional program responsive to the basic employment skills,
Increase enrolment and expand services for special institutionalized groups,
Establish a means of continuous need assessment of targeted educationally disadvantaged adults,
Promote awareness and involvement with outside agencies and organizations to address the needs of the educationally disadvantaged adults,
Implement special projects and teacher training programs, and
Provide leadership for the efficient management and implementation of the adult education state plan.

Since redevelopment of its plan in 1993, FSM/AEP has been aiming to increase its enrolment and expand services to the rural communities