Area	260 sq km (100 sq miles)
Capital	Alofi
Largest city	Alofi (614)
Other large cities	N/A
Climate	tropical; modified by southeast trade winds
Time Difference	GMT minus 11 hours

 

Government type	Self-governing parliamentary democracy
Head of State	Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented by HE the Hon Anand Satyanand, Governor-General of New Zealand" Head of Government: Premier of Niue Toke Talagi
Independence	19 October 1974 - Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand
Constitution	19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)
Legal system	English common law. Niue is self-governing with the power to make its laws
Suffrage	universal , age 18 years
Administrative divisions	None. There are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the second order.

 

Telephones - main lines in use (2009)	1,100
Telephones - mobile cellular (2004)	600
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Telephone system	domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
International dialling code	+683
Internet domain	.nu
Internet hosts (2010)	397,270
Internet users (2009)	1,100
Internet users per 100 inhabitants	65
Computers per 100 inhabitants	N/A
TV sets per 100 people	N/A

Niue was settled by Samoans in the first century AD and the Tongans arrived in the 16^th century. The main authority over the population on the island came from the chiefs and heads of families. The concept of Kingship, derived from Samoa and Tonga, was introduced around 1700. The first King, or patu-iki, was Puni-mata. In 1774, Captain James Cook sighted the island and tried three times to land but was deterred by those who greeted him, natives who looked as though they were painted in blood. It was for this reason he named the island ‘Savage Island’, a name that stuck for a couple of centuries until the name Niue was reasserted. Little did Captain Cook know that the red he saw was not paint but native red banana in the teeth of the islanders.

In 1846, British missionaries of the London Missionary Society arrived and, after some resistance from most villages, finally introduced Christianity to the island. The first Christian King, Tui toga, reigned from 1875–1887. In 1887, King Fata-a-iki thought it prudent to cede sovereignty to the British empire, fearing annexation by a less benevolent colonial power. In 1901, New Zealand annexed Niue and began its administration of the island, ending the UK’s direct involvement.

In 2004, tropical cyclone Heta set back Niue’s striving for economic independence and growth by destroying a large part of its infrastructure. At this point, a Trust, the Niue International Trust Fund (NITF) Deed (the Deed), was set up between Niue, New Zealand and Australia. This is a long-term plan set in place to assist Niue’s government in its goal toward self-reliance and decreasing dependency on foreign development assistance.

The New Zealand Curriculum is followed from early years to Year 13.

There are two schools—an ECE/Primary and a Secondary school, each having their own administration staff and each headed by a Principal who is under the direction of the Director of Education. It is said that 100% of primary and high school students on Niue have computers, the OLPC X-1s of the One Laptop per Child development Project.

There are just over 200 students in primary education.

The Secondary school, Niue High School, has 26 teaching and 6 support staff. There are also just over 200 secondary students who begin high school at Year 7 level, about age 11, and continue to Year 13, about age 18.

Niue follows the New Zealand Curriculum from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to Year 13. ECE is for children aged 3–4 years, Primary Education is for ages 5–10 (Years 1–6) and Secondary Education is for ages 11–18 (Years 7–13).

Education is compulsory between the ages of 5 to 15. Education is largely free. There are no primary or secondary school fees and transport to and from school is paid for by the Niue Government. Parents are also provided with a quarterly child allowance to cover the cost of school uniforms and other education expenses.

Niuean students are taught in their native language until Year 4, when the language of instruction becomes English. Students can, however, undertake Niuean as a language subject in secondary school.

Expenditure on education is relatively low as a share of the Niue budget. In 2010, education was only 6.23% of total government expenditures. Although attendance rates are high by Pacific standards, drop-out rates for students aged 16 or more are a cause of concern. There is also a shortage of qualified teachers in Niue. Less than 25% of teachers on the island have a Bachelor of Education. Most have no more than a Diploma or Teaching Certificate.

a)    School education

Pre-Primary Level

There are 3 community-run village play centres offering childcare for children up to the age of three years and eight months. Preschool education is provided by Niue Primary School.

Primary Level

The government-run Niue Primary School is the only primary school on the island. In 2010, there were a total of 253 students at the School.

Secondary Level

There is a single government secondary school on Niue. Niue High School had 175 students in 2010. Niue High School has been accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. As a result, senior students at Niue High School are able to graduate with NZ qualifications.

Non-Government Schools

There are no private primary or secondary schools on Niue.

b)    Vocational education and training (VET)

VET is not available on Niue so students wanting to get such training either go to New Zealand or to a regional training centre.

The Niue Computer Society provides an online Level 2 Certificate in Computer Application and Level 3 Certificate in Information Communication Technology through the Waikato Institute of Technology (WIT) in New Zealand.

c)     Higher education

Most Niueans get their higher education in New Zealand or other regional institutions. There is a small campus of the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) and a private institution for higher education training, St Clements University.

 USP offers Distance and Flexible Learning (DFL) for distance, community education and adult learning. Credit and non-credit courses are available through Distance Flexible Learning (DFL) and Continuing Education (CE) courses provided by the University of the South Pacific (USP). The USP has a Campus in Niue, although facilities are limited and the campus has no teaching staff.

St Clements University began operations in Niue in 2005 and offers diploma and degree-level distance learning with local tutors. Courses offered are: Diploma of Frontline Management, International Diploma in Travel & Tourism, Bachelor of Applied Management, Bachelor of Business in Administration, Bachelor of Science in Computing, Bachelor of Accounting and Master of Arts in TESOL.

In addition, the National Training & Development Council (NTDC) of Niue makes available vocational training programs with recurrent funding from the New Zealand Government.

Students in Niue are also able to study for certificate, diploma and degree level qualifications in Theology through the Pacific Theological College Education by Extension (PTCEE). The College is based in Fiji, but provides Niue students with print-based materials and teaches by correspondence.

Historical Overview of Distance Education

Niue was a founding-member of the USP. The history of distance education on the island was for a long time almost inseparable from the activities of the Niue Campus, established as an Extension Centre in 1972. At present, enrolments are extremely low. In 2008, there were only 5 EFTS enrolled at USP Niue. Demographic decline on Niue and the increasing number of distance education providers active in the local marketplace are likely to be major contributing factors.

Administration and finance

Unknown.

Higher Education Reforms

Reform of higher education in Niue is largely dependent on the direction of USP policies.

Future Direction of Tertiary Education

At present, the future of tertiary education on Niue is uncertain. Many young Niueans prefer to study overseas, particularly in New Zealand. This preference and continued demographic decline, threaten to undermine the longer-term viability of the small tertiary education sector in the country.

Information and Communications Technology Initiatives

a)    Information society strategy

Niue has a relatively well-developed IT infrastructure by Pacific standards. Telecom Niue provides telephone services to almost every Niue household. The Internet Users’ Society Niue (IUSN) created the world’s first nation-wide WiFi access service in 2003. The Society aims to have all populated areas on Niue covered by WiFi in the near future. Access to the Internet is free for Niueans, and Internet penetration is estimated at 65%. The total satellite bandwidth for the island is, however, only 4Mbs, which limits the speed and reliability of Internet connections.

The Niue Campus provides USP students with access to video broadcast courses, online learning materials and teleconferencing facilities (both video and audio). This access has been greatly enhanced since the USPNet upgrade in 2006.

b)    Major e-learning initiatives

Niue is a participant in OLPC Oceania project. In 2008, each primary and secondary student on Niue received a laptop as part of this initiative, making Niue the first country in the world to reach the goal of one laptop per child (see below).

c)     Benchmarking e-learning

None identified.

d)    Support for OER

Niue is part of the Commonwealth of Learning’s Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) project, which has a major focus on the development of OER.

e)    Government entities

Ministry of Education

National Training & Development Council (NTDC)

f)      Associations and networks

Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE)

g)    Distance education journals

None identified.

Interesting Distance Education Initiatives

The OLPC Niue project saw the distribution of over 400 rugged, waterproof XO laptops to all primary and secondary students in Niue in 2008. Although this initiative gained extensive coverage in the world media, the costs and benefits of the project are unclear. OLPC Oceania has not published any follow-up reports or evaluations to indicate that the arrival of the XO laptops has led to real improvements in student learning. Evidence from similar projects in other countries casts doubt on the effectiveness of the OLPC’s approach, which concentrates on getting laptops into the hands of students, without considering the longer term issues of maintenance or teacher support. The USP has been funded to conduct an in depth evaluation of the OLPC Oceania initiative with particular focus on the Niue experience. Until this report is published, it is necessary to suspend judgement.

The regulatory framework for distance education in Niue is extremely rudimentary. The permission of the Niue Government is necessary for a higher education institution to operate in the country, but otherwise the sector is unregulated.

a)    International regulatory and policy frameworks

The USP is a member of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN). The USP is also a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

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 and policy

Niue is a member of the multi-nation USP consortium.

USP Strategic Plan 2010-2012

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)

Secretariat of the Pacific Board of Education Assessment (SPBEA)

c)     National regulations and policy

Companies Act (2006)

Education Act (1989)

Millennium Development Goals 2007 Report

Niue Education Strategic Plan 2005-2010

Niue Education for All National Plan 2003-2010

d)    State/District regulations and policy

Not applicable.

e)    University policies

Niue is one of twelve Pacific island states that jointly own the University of the South Pacific. However, due to the extremely low enrolments at the Niue Campus, it is unlikely that the Niue Government has any significant influence on the wider policies of the USP.