Upon gaining independence in 1978, Tuvalu adopted the British ‘Education for Life’ program in a bid to improve the general level of learning in Tuvaluan schools. This programme continues to the present. Tuvaluan residents who desire to undertake teacher training are sent to international institutes of higher education.
The education system is loosely based on the 3-8-4 model. Attendance at both Primary and Secondary School is compulsory between the ages of seven and fifteen. The Tuvalu education system is divided into three stages: Early Childhood Education (ECE) for ages 3–5, Primary School for ages 6–13 and Secondary School for ages 14–17.
There are many deficiencies in the Tuvalu education system. Primary education has been under-funded for many years. Classrooms are in short supply, the quality of facilities is poor, and there is a lack of adequate teaching equipment. Many teachers are inadequately trained and teacher morale is low.
Educational outcomes have declined in recent years. Basic numeracy and literacy rates are declining. Many students drop out of school. Non-attendance at the secondary school level is high. Only 40% of secondary-aged children attend school. Pass rates for secondary students are also in decline.
a) School education
Pre-Primary Level
Nineteen Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centres provide preschool for children aged 3–5. The ECEs receive some financial support from the Tuvalu Government, but otherwise most are community-run. Some ECEs provide day-care for students younger than 3 years.
Primary Level
It appears that the first eight years of formal education is within a primary school model from age six covering grades 1-7 with an apparent near 100% completion. However, attendance rates do not reflect the completion rates.
There are ten government-run primary schools in Tuvalu: one on each of the nine inhabited islands and two on the main island of Vaitupu.
Secondary Level
The next three years (forms 1-3) are compulsory within secondary school. A further three years of study in secondary school is available to those students wishing to pursue tertiary pathways.
There is a single government secondary school on Vaitupu. This is a boarding school with capacity for about 600 pupils. The School takes students from all of Tuvalu’s nine islands.
Non-Government Schools
There is also a non-government secondary school run by the Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu
b) Vocational education and training (VET)
Tuvalu has three institutions of higher education: the Technical Education Centre offering training in the building trades, the University of South Pacific Extension Center and the Tuvalu Maritime School. These latter institutions offer limited vocational, degree and continuing education programs.
The Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute (TMTI), established in 1979, is the major TVET provider in the country. The TMTI provides basic training in seamanship for young Tuvaluans seeking employment aboard foreign ships. The demand for TMTI-trained seamen is declining due to the global economic crisis.
In addition, the Tuvalu Government provides limited pre-departure training for labour migrants. This includes training for Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers departing to New Zealand, seafarers and others.
The Tuvalu Government depends heavily on NGOs and donor assistance to deliver vocational training relevant to the Tuvalu economy. AusAID plans to spend to $2.265 million between 2009–2013 to support TVET delivered through rural training centres and Tuvalu secondary schools. AusAID provides short training courses taught by Australian trainers flown into Tuvalu. These courses cover vocational subjects such as motor vehicle maintenance, industrial electronics, joinery, plumbing and electrical generator maintenance.
In addition, the UNDP-fundedTuvalu Business Centreprovides specialised training courses to assist business development.
c) Higher education
Pre-Tertiary and Tertiary Education
The Pacific Theological College Education by Extension (PTCEE) Program is active in Tuvalu. The PTCEE is aimed at both candidates for the ministry and lay people. Courses available include a Certificate in Theological Studies, a Diploma in Theological Studies and a Bachelor of Theology.
The main provider of university education in Tuvalu is the University of the South Pacific (USP). However, the number of Tuvalu students at the USP is small. In 2008, total enrolments at the Tuvalu campus were only 91 EFTS.
Overview of Distance Education
The Tuvalu Campus of the USP was established as an Extension Centre early as 1988. Until recent years, the USP’s delivery of DE tuition was largely based on the use of print-based teaching materials. The 2006 increase in USPNet bandwidth has encouraged the wider use of new teaching modes, including blended learning.
USP students in Tuvalu can choose from the hundreds of distance education courses available from the University. Those students with access to the Tuvalu Campus can listen to lectures broadcast from Fiji, use audio and video-conferencing facilities and employ the USPNet system for communication with lecturers and other students. Tapes of video broadcast sessions and audio conference tutorials are also available for the Tuvalu students on all nine islands. Printed-based materials form the primary method of distance delivery. These are supplemented by a range of different media: audio/video tapes, CD-ROMs and DVDs, satellite-based videoconferencing and audioconferencing, and e-learning using the Moodle platform. The USP’s goal is to move eventually to fully online delivery.
Administration and Finance
The overall responsibility for education rests with the Minister who may make such arrangements as are considered necessary to ensure that education and training opportunities are provided for children according to their age, aptitude and ability, and for adults.
Out of the population of 8000 adults in Tuvalu, more than 90% can read and write in Tuvaluan language. The Department of Education, other Government Departments and non-governmental organisations provide training to meet Basic Learning Needs of adults.
One of the Government initiatives is to promote adult education on all islands in Tuvalu and Government has agreed to have a voluntary non-formal education coordinator on each island. The community meeting hall or primary schools will be used as Learning Centres. An Agricultural Assistant is also placed on each island to help the community with skills required to improve subsistence agriculture.
Higher Education Reforms
None identified.
Future Direction of Tertiary Education
Reform of higher education in Tuvalu is largely dependent on the direction of USP policies.
Adult Education is one area that needs urgent co-ordination with regards its implemented activities. Education of adults has been in the form of unstructured non-formal education. Literacy has come to be recognised as an essential tool for bringing about basic changes in the society. In Tuvalu, illiteracy is not a problem but functional literacy is a major concern.
Under EFL/EFA government will strengthen adult education network. This will be achieved through the establishment of adult education centres and provision of adult learning resources on all the islands. The Tuvalu Education Technical Centre will be an important part of this network and will provide opportunities for mature age men and women in Funafuti and on the outer islands to learn useful trades as required for the betterment of their lives in rural areas.
Information and Communications Technology Initiatives
The Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) is a monopoly provider of telecommunications in the country, providing satellite-based links between the islands and the rest of the world. Internet access, even on Vaitupu, is slow and unreliable. As late as 2008, Tuvalu’s entire national bandwidth was equivalent to a single premium home broadband connection in Australia. Fortunately, the USP has secured an exemption from the TCC monopoly and is able to provide its own satellite-based telecommunication services through USPNet. The 2006 upgrade to USPNet increased the available bandwidth, providing students in Tuvalu with increased electronic access.
a) Information society strategy
None identified.
b) Major e-learning initiatives
Tuvalu is a participant in OLPC Oceania project and the Commonwealth of Learning’s Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) project. Neither project appears to have had any significant impact on Tuvalu to date.
c) Benchmarking e-learning
None identified
d) Support for OER
Two Learning for Content (L4C) workshops were held on Vaitupu from 25 November to 2 December 2008. The workshops were sponsored by the Hewlett Foundation, Wikieducator, the Commonwealth of Learning and Otago Polytechnic. These workshops resulted in the creation of Wikieducator pages on Tuvalu education. In addition, there are significant OER components in the OLPC Oceania and VUSSC projects.
Tuvalu is a participant in the Commonwealth of Learning’s Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) project. VUSSC is actively engaged in the development of OER materials for use among member states.
e) Government entities
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
f) Associations and networks
Tuvalu Association of Non Governmental Organizations (TANGO)
Tuvalu National Council of Women
National Youth Council
Tuvalu Teachers Association
Pacific Islands Association of Non-Government Organisations (PIANGO)
Pacific Association of Technical Vocational Education and Training (PATVET)
Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE)
g) Distance education journals
None identified.
Interesting Distance Education Initiatives
The Pacific Theological College Education by Extension (PTCEE) is an example of a long-running success in the field of DE in the Pacific. The Program has been running since 1996. It fills a gap in theological education in the Pacific. Many of the larger Pacific nations have theological colleges, but full-time study away from home is impossible for most ordinary Christians. Many local theological colleges do not admit laypersons. As their first priority is the training of male candidates for ordination, women are at a particular disadvantage.
The first students in the PTCEE Diploma in Theological Studies program enrolled in 1996. In 2001, a Certificate in Theological Studies was introduced. By the end of 2005, more than 400 students from across the Pacific had enrolled for PTCEE courses. In 2008, the PTC offered degree level studies by extension, a Bachelor of Theology.