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.