Following the end of World War II, the US has exercised authority over the education system in the region. The education system in Palau is now based upon the US model with students attending both private and public schools. The conditions in different schools vary quite widely, and the level of resourcing makes it difficult to maintain equipment, furniture and learning materials at a consistent level.
Education in Palau largely follows the United States pattern. There are four stages: Kindergarten/preschool for ages 3–5, Elementary for ages 6–13 (Grades 1–8), Secondary for ages 14–17 (Grades 9–12) and Postsecondary for ages 18 and above. Education is compulsory between the ages of 6–17.
The Palauan government spends at least 10% of Palau’s GDP on education. However, most of this funding comes from the US Government as a result of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States.
By Pacific standards, attendance rates at Palau schools are quite respectable. In 2008, the elementary completion rate was 89%. However, there are a number of serious problems that need to be addressed. Levels of teacher training are still inadequate. In 2006, only 52% of teachers had an associate degree or better qualification. Drop-out rates, particularly in the secondary sector are high. Financial resources for education are declining, and there is inadequate institutional support for teachers in small rural schools.
a) School education
Pre-Primary Level
Early childhood education is largely provided by NGOs and church groups. There is also a public pre-school program managed by the Palau Community Action Agency (PCAA) under the Head Start program. This US Government-funded program provides preschools for disadvantaged children. In 2006, 70% of age-eligible children in Palau participated in some form of preschool education.
Primary Level
Following the U.S. model, elementary or primary school education covers grades 1-8, being the compulsory component of school education in Palau. There are 21 elementary schools in Palau, all but two of which are government-run. The elementary school curriculum consists of five core subjects: English, Palauan, mathematics, science, and social studies. In most elementary schools, there are also tutoring sessions after the end of the formal school day.
Secondary Level
Secondary school education is beyond the eight year compulsory attendance period in Palau. The government operates a single secondary school in Koror with approximately 800 students.
There are six secondary schools in Palau. Only one of these schools, Palau High School, is government-run and has been in operation since 1962. Students at Palau High School choose from both academic and vocational courses. Academic Departments include English, Palauan Studies, Social Studies and Science. In addition, students are required to enrol in courses from one of five Career Departments. These are Arts & Humanities, Automotive Technology, Business, Construction Technology, Tourism and Natural Resources.
Non-Government Schools
There is conflicting information on exactly how many students attend privately-operated education in Palau, but it is clear that private providers are significant players in the sector with over one third of all secondary students attending schools operated by private organizations.
The two non-government elementary schools are both church-run. One is a Catholic institution, Maris Stella, the other is managed by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
The five non-government secondary schools on Palau are also managed by religious organisations. The Palau Evangelical Church has two separate boarding schools: an all-boys school, Emmaus High, and a prestigious all-girls school, Bethania High School. The other three non-government schools, the Palau Mission Academy (Seventh Day Adventist), Mindszenty High School (Catholic) and Belau Modekenge (Modekngei – an indigenous Palauan faith), are co-educational.
b) Vocational education and training (VET)
The major provider of post-secondary education in Palau is the Palau Community College (PCC). The PCC offers a wide variety of programs under its four degrees: Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Arts (AA), and Associate of Technical Studies (ATS). Students can train in a wide range of vocational fields including agricultural science, air-conditioning and refrigeration, auto mechanics, business studies, construction, electrical trades, information technology, nursing and hospitality. In partnership with the San Diego State University of California, the PCC offers online degree and masters programs in education. In addition, the PCC has articulation agreements with a range of universities in the United States and the Pacific.
The PCC provides education and training to meet the needs of life-long learners. It offers four TRIO programs: Upward Bound Program (UB), Upward Bound Math & Science (UBMS), Student Support Services (SSS) and the Talent Search Program (TS). These are funded by the US Federal Government. The PCC’s Adult High School program provides an opportunity for adult Palauans to learn vocational skills and to obtain a high school-equivalent diploma. The PCC Continuing Education Program provides non-credit, short training courses. In addition, the Operations and Maintenance Improvement Program at PCC provides short training courses for Palau Government employees working in the area of infrastructure operation and maintenance.
The PCC is not the only provider of vocational and further education in Palau. The Palau Ministry of Education offers Adult High School programs in a number of rural communities. Post-secondary education is also provided by the Apprenticeship program of the Civil Action Team of the US Navy and Air Force. The US Job Corps is also active in providing training in Palau.
The Penn Foster Career School is a US-based distance education provider active in Palau. Penn Foster offers more than 80 different vocational courses in the country in partnership with the Palau Community College.
In 2003, the World Health Organisation (WHO) installed Pacific Open Learning Health Network (POLHN) computer lab in the Belau National Hospital library. The lab is still in use, providing health professionals in Palau with access to self-paced courses in health available from POLHN’s Web site. There is also a short one-week introductory course in POLHN eLearning, which is provided at regular intervals for new participants.
c) Higher education
The Pacific Islands University (PIU) is a Christian college offering certificates, diplomas or degrees in Biblical Study. The PIU’s Palau Extension office shares facilities with the PCC and is located on the PCC campus. PIU Extension students in Palau can study PCC courses as part of their Biblical Study program. In addition, PCC students can take certain PIU courses to meet their program requirements.
Historical Overview of Distance Education (DE)
In comparison to many other Pacific micro-states in the Pacific, Palau has a relatively short history in terms of distance education. There is no local equivalent to the University of South Pacific. However, distance education has developed to meet the career development needs of professionals in Palau.
Administration and finance
The Ministry of Education shall be headed by a Minister who shall be responsible, under policies established by the President in consultation with the Palau Board of Education, for managing, operating and promoting the public elementary and secondary schools systems throughout the Republic and developing and implementing educational curricula and standards at every educational level and related matters.
Higher Education Reforms
The PCC operates largely independently of the Palau government. The likelihood of any significant change in the institutional direction in the near future as a result of external pressure is therefore low.
Future Direction of Tertiary Education
At present, the future direction of tertiary education on Palau largely depends on developments at the Palau Community College. The PCC intends to expand its offerings with the establishment of the Palau Tourism & Hospitality School of Excellence to open in 2011. However, the growth of the PCC is constrained by limited financial resources. The institution expects no more than a 10% increase in the size of the student population in the medium term.
Information and Communications Technology Initiatives
a) Information society strategy
Even by Pacific standards, awareness in Palau of the potential benefit of ICT use in education is extremely low. The country currently lacks any substantial ICT capacity for e-learning. Although computers are common in schools, their use in education is at a basic stage. Internet usage is not widespread beyond urbanised areas. Even there, Internet connections are expensive and speeds are generally low due to congestion.
b) Major e-learning initiatives
Two major distance education initiatives in Palau have been PRELSTAR and PR*TEC. These have been Ministry of Education project carried out in conjunction with Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, a non-profit education corporation based in Hawai‘i. PRELSTAR has provided distance learning training in technology related fields to teachers, administrators and health workers in Palau for a number of years. PR*TEC offers technology literacy training for teachers and students. Both programs have ensured that the Palau Ministry of Education has a basic technical capacity in computer technology, which is an essential prerequisite for any future growth in e-learning.
c) Benchmarking e-learning
None identified.
d) Support for OER
None identified.
e) Government entities
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Health
f) Associations and networks
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL)
g) Distance Education journals
None identified.
Interesting Distance Education Initiatives
The Palau Ministry of Health has as active continuing medical education (CME) program. Not surprisingly, the MOH was keen to make use of the two PEACESAT ground stations in Palau for the delivery of distance education through audio- and video-conferencing. However, Palau falls at the edge of the PEACESAT satellite footprint. As a result the quality of the PEACESAT signal was unclear and the audio quality was poor. This led medical staff in Palau to switch to a phone bridging service provided by Verizon Hawai`i. Unfortunately, the service was suspended in 2004, leading to a temporary end in the delivery of distance education to Palau medical personal through audio- and video-conferencing.