Country Profile: Vanuatu

Geography

Area	total: 12,189 sq km (4,710 sq mi) land: 12,189 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited
Capital	Port-Vila (on Efate)
Largest city (2006)	Port-Vila (37,100)
Other large cities	Luganville (13,900) on Espíritu Santo; Norsup (3,000) on Malakula; Isangel (1,500) on Tanna
Climate	tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April. Terrain: mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains.
Time Difference	UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

People

Nationality	noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural) adjective: Ni-Vanuatu
Population	221,552 (July 2010 est.- CIA) or 245,800 (UN, 2010)
Annual population growth rate (2010 est.)	1.359%
Age Structure (2010 est.)	0-14 years: 30.7% (male 34,263/female 32,833) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 72,670/female 69,970) 65 years and over: 4% (male 4,516/female 4,267)
Urbanization	urban population: 25% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Ethnic groups (1999 Census)	Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5%
Languages (1999 Census)	local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English (official) 1.9%, French (official) 1.4%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7%
Religion (1999 Census)	Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic 13.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian 13.8%, indigenous beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 9.6%, none 1%, unspecified 1.3%
Life expectancy	total population: 64.33 years male: 62.7 years female: 66.04 years (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate (2010 est.)	total: 48.17 deaths/1,000 live births male: 50.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.56 deaths/1,000 live births

Government

Government type	parliamentary republic
Head of State	Head of State: President HE Iolu Johnson Abbil Kaniapnin Head of Government: Prime Minister The Hon. Sato Kilman (26 June 2011)
Independence	30 July 1980 (from France and the UK)
Constitution	30 July 1980
Legal system	unified system being created from former dual French and British systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal
Administrative divisions	6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba

Education

Literacy (age 15 and over can read & write) (2007 est.)	total population: 74% male: 79.5% female: 83%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) (2004)	total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years
Years compulsory	7 (starting at age 6)
Primary to secondary transition rate (2006)	79%
Female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) - Tertiary Education as a % for School year ending 2004	4%
Male Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) - Tertiary Education as a % for School year ending 2004	6%
Education expenditure (2008)	7.2% of GDP 28.1% of total government expenditure
Distribution(%) of public expenditure per level (2008)	pre-primary 1% primary 51% secondary 36% tertiary 6% unknown 7%
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)	10,400
Telephones - mobile cellular (2008)	36,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (2009)	52.73
Broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants (2009)	Fixed 0.21 Mobile 0
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
International dialling code	+678
Internet domain	.vu
Internet hosts (2010)	1,347
Internet users (2008)	17,000
Internet users per 100 inhabitants (2009)	7.09
Computers per 100 inhabitants (2008)	4.38
TV sets per 100 people	N/A

Overview

Vanuatu (formerly known as New Hebrides) is located approximately 2000 kilometres north east of Sydney, Australia. Comprising approximately 80 islands of which 65 are inhabited, Vanuatu stretches in a ‘Y’ shape for nearly a thousand kilometres to the equator. With a total land surface area of over 12,000 square kilometres, these islands are home to nearly 250,000 people.

With independence only being declared in 1980, as one of the newest nations, Vanuatu has experienced instability in its political processes, with an attempted succession in its first year. Since that time political issues, such as frequent votes of no-confidence in leaders, allegations of corruption and constantly changing governments, have been commonplace. The economy is fragile, relying upon agricultural and fisheries products for export revenue.

Governed through a unicameral parliamentary system, Vanuatu’s Head of State is the elected President and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister.

French, English and Bislama are the most commonly spoken languages of the more than one hundred different languages of the nation. Vanuatu gradually converted to Christianity following ongoing missionary involvement in the 18^th and 19^th centuries with both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches being well represented at this time.

Vanuatu lies adjacent to the plate boundaries of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. With active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes, it is one of the more active geological areas in the world. Evidence suggests that a massive volcanic explosion in 1453 destroyed a significant-sized island, leaving two smaller remaining parts. Concern over effects of large geological events remains a constant issue.

Infant mortality rates are very high at nearly 50 deaths per 1000 births and provides support for the view that low adult literacy rates (around 75%) have a great impact upon infant and maternal health and a host of other economic and social issues.

Brief History

Occupation of the islands is believed to have occurred around 3,500 years ago with peoples from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea arriving by canoe. During the 18^th and 19^th centuries, both British and French settlers made their home on the islands. Traders, missionaries and slave traders made a steady stream of visitors bringing with them European diseases that were unknown in the local peoples and for which they had little resistance. Added to this, slave traders kidnapped workers to be sent abroad to work on sugar plantations in Australia and Fiji. In earlier times prior to European contact, it is believed that the population was around 1,000,000. By 1935, it was reduced to 45,000.

The French and the British settlers with their intertwined economic interests both lobbied their respective governments to annex the region. In 1887, a unique arrangement was eventually drawn up where both nations agreed to jointly administer the region. However, local Melanesian peoples were significantly disadvantaged. This situation continued until 1980, when the nation declared independence, naming itself The Republic of Vanuatu and adopting its own constitution.

Having declared itself a tax haven in 1971, the banking sector attracted many dubious customers and the critical attention of the OECD. Under pressure, banking regulation was introduced in the 1990’s, causing a reduction from over 100 banks to 7 by 2003. In the period since 2000, a Comprehensive Reform Programme (CRP) has been adopted to improve the economic fortunes of the nation, with only limited success.

Governance

There are three levels of government in Vanuatu. The 52 member unicameral parliament governs the republic, with members being elected for a four year term. A national Council of Chiefs drawn from the regions advises the Government. The parliament in conjunction with the National Council of Chiefs elects a non-executive President for a five year period. However, the parliament solely elects a Prime Minister through a three-fourths majority vote. Six popularly-elected, provincial councils govern each region respectively, while individual municipalities, often being single islands, are overseen by a local council of chiefs who provide local leadership in community matters.

Education System

The joint French-British administration has allowed a complex system to evolve where French, English or Bislama may all the language of instruction in schools, depending upon which island it is being delivered. Compulsory school attendance is for only 7 years from the age of 6 and rates of attendance are low. It is believed that only 20-25% of students who complete primary education levels go on to secondary levels. The overall educational structure is a 6-4-3 model.

Public spending on education by the Vanuatu Government averaged 6.4% of GDP and 28.1% of total government outgoings in 2008. Despite this high (by world standards) level of expenditure, there are persistent concerns regarding curricula and teaching outcomes. Teacher training standards are extremely low. Over a third of all teachers in Vanuatu have not completed secondary school. Teacher absenteeism also remains a significant issue. The dual (English-French) education system, a legacy of the colonial past, is a further cause for concern, as it results in considerable duplication of effort and inefficiency. Despite the high level of spending on education, many rural schools lack basic teaching equipment, facilities and materials, while the level of physical infrastructure is often poor.

In theory, primary and secondary education is both free and compulsory. However, education in Vanuatu is neither in practice. School attendance in Vanuatu is the lowest in the Pacific. Primary and secondary schools charge fees for tuition, boarding, textbooks and other services and materials. Widespread rural poverty means that fees are a significant barrier to school attendance. High rates of non-attendance are also partly attributable to the discouragement arising from poor quality schooling, student health issues, rural isolation and the competing demand for child labour from the household economy. Student progress is limited by quotas and the inadequate supply of school places, particularly in secondary schools.

At present, the Vanuatu education system recognises six levels of education. These are: Preschool (ages 3–5), Primary (ages 6–12), Junior Secondary (ages 13–16), Senior Secondary (ages 17–20), Technical Education (ages 13–18) and Tertiary Education (ages 19 and up). Since 2003, the Ministry of Education has sought to provide an additional two years of primary education and to shorten junior secondary school to two years.

a) School education

Pre-Primary Level

Early childhood education for children aged 4-5 years is provided through community and church-run preschools. The latest available figures (2007) indicate that there were 644 preschools in Vanuatu. This figure is almost certainly higher than the current total, due to falls in the number of centres and the range of early childhood services during recent years.

Cost, cultural factors and the limited number of places mean that preschool enrolments are small as a percentage of the preschool population. Even in the Port Vila area, it is estimated that as few as 13% of preschool aged children are enrolled in a pre-school.

Although preschool education began in Vanuatu as early as the 1960s, early childhood education was for a long time been accorded a low priority by the Vanuatu Government. This situation is slowly changing and Ministry of Education now gives increasing attention to preschools. The Ministry funds the Vanuatu Early Childhood Association (VEJA), a NGO which has existed since the early 1980s. Working with the VEJA, the Ministry of Education is currently addressing a number of pressing issues. The Ministry has approved guidelines on preschool standards and funds a network of Preschool Coordinators, who train preschool teachers and work to raise community awareness. The Ministry’s efforts in this area are constrained by the relatively meagre allocation of resources to the early childhood sector: as little as 0.1% of total budget in 2009.

Primary Level

Primary education extends from grade 1-7. Around 96% of students in this age range actually attend primary school. This statistic combined with poor retention rates of students moving on the secondary may be linked to low adult literacy rates.

There were 488 primary schools in Vanuatu in 2007. Most of these schools are located in rural communities. High drop-out rates and non-attendance are a continuing problem. According to one estimate, the completion rate for Vanuatu primary students is only 73.2%. Before the recent introduction of fee subsidies, access to primary education was in decline and continued progress towards the universal basic education depends on foreign aid funding.

Secondary Level

Junior secondary is from grades 8-10 and senior secondary from grades 11-13. Only 17% of students in the secondary age-group are enrolled in a school.

There are secondary schools (typically boarding schools) in each province and in the Port Villa area. The number of secondary schools has increased in recent years: from 42 in 2004 to 81 in 2007. Most of these schools are junior secondary schools and there is a serious shortage of places. Rates of non-attendance are high and increase sharply as student age rises. This trend is associated with “push-out” phenomenon, the process whereby quotas exclude increasing numbers of school-age children at each stage.

Non-Government Schools

Most secondary schools are government-funded, but are also a number of church schools receiving part-funding. In 2006, private school grants accounted for an estimated 19.2% of Ministry of Education expenditure.

In addition to church-run schools, there are a number of private schools. Some of these teach on the basis of overseas curricula. The Port Vila International School (PVIS) offers education up until Year 10, based on the Australian and New Zealand curriculum. There is also a private Francophone secondary school, the Ecole Francaise de Port Vila, which follows the traditional French primary and secondary curriculum.

b) Vocational education and training (VET)

Post-secondary education is relatively small part of the education sector in Vanuatu. Less than 5% of the post-school age population are enrolled in post-secondary education. The underrepresentation of women is particularly marked in both TVET and university study.

From the late 1990s onwards, the Vanuatu Government has placed increasing emphasis on TVET. The government-run Vanuatu Institute of Technology (VIT) is the major TVET provider in the country, with a main campus in Port Vila and two smaller provincial centres. The VIT has benefited in recent years from support from foreign agencies such as the European Union (EU) and AusAID.

Other major state-run TVET agencies include: the Vanuatu Agricultural Research and Training Centre (VARTC), the Vanuatu Agricultural College (VAC), the Vanuatu Maritime College (VMC), the Vanuatu College of Nursing Education, the Malapoa Teacher Training College, the Vanuatu Institute of Teacher Education (Institut de Formation des Enseignants de Vanuatu), the Centre Universitaire Francophone and the Tagabe Agricultural School. In addition, government staff receive training through foreign-funded aid projects and in-service, in-house training. The Vanuatu Government also manages a small number of smaller training centres in the provinces and Youth Drop-In Centres.

Non-government agencies are largely responsible for the provision of TVET in rural areas. The Rural Training Centres (RTC) network consists of 53 local centres run by private individuals, church groups and community organisations. The RTCs work under the umbrella of the Vanuatu Rural Training Centres Development Association (VRDTCA) and are independent of the Vanuatu government. A number of NGOs are also active in providing informal training in the areas of community, rural and women’s development.

In recent years, foreign aid agencies have made a significant impact on the provision of TVET in Vanuatu, introducing different approaches and new standards. The AusAID-managed Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) provides Australian Certificate-level vocational training in a wide range of areas (including metal-working, hospitality, tourism and the building trades). Another foreign-run TVET agency is the Institut de Technologie (INTV). The INTV offers courses in building, automotive trades, business studies, tourism, hospitality, and the electrical trades. INTV is supported by the French Government and AusAID.

c) Higher education

Pre-Tertiary and Tertiary Education

The largest single—and almost the only—provider of university-level education in Vanuatu is the University of the South Pacific. The USP has a campus in Port Villa that houses the Law School and three smaller Sub-Centres elsewhere in Vanuatu. The University provides students in Vanuatu with both foundation training and degree-level programs. In 2008, the USP had 573 EFTs in Vanuatu, 5.5% of the total USP enrolment. The main campus is based in Fiji and offers a range of distance education courses.

There are two other tertiary education providers operating in Vanuatu: the Malapoa Teacher Training College and the Tagabe Agricultural School both provide tertiary programs.

Overview of Distance Education

In one sense, distance education (DE) has a respectable history in Vanuatu. The USP has provided DE-based programs since the pre-Independence period. However, in other respects, distance education is in its infancy. The Ministry of Education did not release a distance education policy until 2006. In this document, the Ministry identified distance education as a primary strategy for increasing access to formal and non-formal education, recognising the critical importance of distance education for new learners, second-chance learners and life-long learners.

Despite official commitment to distance education in Vanuatu, there are a range of daunting obstacles. These include the lack of a Ministry-wide acceptance of distance learning as a legitimate mode of teaching, a scarcity of trained human resources, and the state of local telecommunications networks. The low level of computer ownership and Internet penetration in Vanuatu is a significant factor in this regard.

The use of distance education in secondary education is relatively rare. Students from rural districts are much more likely to be educated at boarding schools than to receive distance education instruction. However, there are signs of innovation in this area. In 2005 a private Christian institution began offering a DE-based secondary program. Under this scheme, Vanuatu secondary students are able to study for Victorian Year 11 and Year 12 qualifications. This program is offered in conjunction with the Distance Education Centre Victoria (DECV) in Australia.

The use of open and distance learning in TVET has hardly begun in Vanuatu. The Vanuatu Rural Training Centres Development Association (VRDTCA) is a major participant in the Yumi Konek rural connectivity project. However, this project does not appear to have advanced beyond a basic stage.

The USP is the major distance education provider in Vanuatu. For decades, the USP has provided students in Vanuatu with print-based learning materials designed to facilitate home-based study.

During the 1980s, there were a number of attempts to offer satellite-based distance education in Vanuatu. Apart from experiments undertaken by the USP in this period, there was an attempt to offer French-language university tuition by satellite. In 1998, an international consortium of French universities established a regional office in Port Vila. Although the consortium intended to provide degree courses by satellite in Vanuatu and throughout the Pacific, this initiative was ultimately unsuccessful.

A major advance in distance education technology came with the USPNet upgrade in 2006. This step provided increased bandwidth, permitting higher quality broadcasting. The USP now provides distance students in Vanuatu with access to teaching material in a range of formats. These include online teaching materials (hosted in a Moodle LMS), video broadcast courses, CD-ROMs, DVDs, audio tapes and video tapes. Students are also able to participate in audio- and video-conferencing. These new modes are gradually replacing or supplementing traditional print-based resources.

A recent private sector entrant into the distance education field in Vanuatu is the Vanuatu College of Medicine (VCM). The College offers DE-based medical education to international students. The College has applied to the Australian Medical Council for recognition, in order that VCM students obtain eligibility to sit the Australian Medical Council (AMC) examination.

Administration and Finance

Responsibility for education in Vanuatu lies primarily with the Ministry of Education. However, there are no figures for Ministry expenditure in the distance education area, or for relevant expenditures by other Vanuatu Government agencies.

Under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act, any private-sector investment in distance education would require approval from the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority (VIPA). It is also likely that such an enterprise would require licensing under the Business Licence Act.

The Ministry of Education is mandated to provide one of the fundamental human rights – education for all. Education is seen as the pre-eminent tool for achieving increased economic prosperity and social welfare and stability. The Ministry of Education offices are located in Port Vila. Provincial Education Offices (PEO) are located in other centres.

In 2010, the Vanuatu Government announced its policy of free education for all primary schools this year 2010. The Government provided 6,800 vatu [US$70] to every child in all primary schools from Year 1 to Year 6. The money came from Australia, New Zealand and UNICEF (a solid commitment worth 2.3 billion vatu [US$24 million] over the next three years). However, the amount provided to each child may not be enough to remove all the expenses from parents to send their children to school; parents will still be expected to pay for transport expenses, food and clothes for their children. The amount will reduce the burden of school fees, and the government estimated that it would remove the fees from 70% from those schools that charge less than 6,800 vatu in one year.

Higher Education Reforms

Reform of higher education in Vanuatu is largely dependent on the direction of USP policies. To date, USP has largely used English as the medium of instruction in Vanuatu. The University is committed to the extension of its learning environment in Vanuatu to cater for Francophone students. This initiative is expended to widen access to university education for this segment of the Vanuatu community.

Future Direction of Tertiary Education

The future direction of tertiary education in Vanuatu is unclear. The USP has a near monopoly on the provision of university education in the country. There are signs of increasing interest from higher education providers in Australian and New Zealand in Vanuatu as a market for specialised distance education programs. An example is the Australian and New Zealand School of Government’s Pacific Executive (PACE) program, which has taught a number of students from Vanuatu.

Information and Communications Technology Initiatives

The future direction of tertiary education in Vanuatu is unclear. The USP has a near- monopoly on the provision of university education in the country. There are signs of increasing interest from higher education providers in Australian and New Zealand in Vanuatu as a market for specialised DE programs. An example is the Australian and New Zealand School of Government’s Pacific Executive (PACE) program, which has taught a number of students from Vanuatu.

a) Information society strategy

None identified.

b) Major e-learning initiatives

None identified.

c) Benchmarking e-learning

None identified.

d) Support for OER

The USP is actively engaged in OER for facilitating distance study in the Pacific region. One example is the release by USP of a free open resource on study skills in January 2010. This resource was developed as part of the EU-funded SideCAP Project.

e) Government entities

Vanuatu Ministry of Education

Vanuatu National Education Council (NEC)

Vanuatu National Training Council (VNTC)

Provincial Training Boards

Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority (VIPA)

Vanuatu Institute of Technology (VIT) Board

f) Associations and networks

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

Vanuatu Rural Development and Training Centers Association (VRDTCA)

g) Distance education journals

None identified.

Interesting Distance Education Initiatives

Nothing indicates the problems of distance education provision in Vanuatu better than the case of non-accredited institutions of higher learning. Vanuatu has become notorious for hosting non-accredited agencies forced to leave their home countries under regulatory pressure. Three Vanuatu-based institutions which term themselves a university are Revans University, Calamus International University and Hartford University. These institutions purport offer to a range of distance education programs, from degree level to higher degree qualifications. Outside Vanuatu, these “universities” are widely regarded as bogus institutions offering fraudulent qualifications.

Quality Assurance

The National Education Council (NEC) and the Vanuatu National Training Council (VNTC) are responsible for the accreditation of education and training courses within Vanuatu. The non-government VRDTCA imposes its own standards framework on member RTCs.

The USP has placed renewed emphasis on quality assurance in its most recent strategic planning document: the USP Strategic Plan 2010-2012: Quality, Relevance, Sustainability (2009). The Plan includes a range of quality initiatives, including International benchmarking of key performance indicators.

The USP is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).The USP has also benefited from its ties with other international quality assurance agencies, including the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) and the New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit (NZUAAU).

The Transnational Qualifications Framework (TQF) for International Accreditation for the Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth (TQF for VUSSC:Procedures and Guidelines) was formally launched in April 2010. It is heralded the introduction of probably the most international, collaborative system for capacity building, skills development and greater access to quality-assured qualifications. Since the VUSSC is not an accrediting or awarding body, the institutions that offer the courses must accredit them locally. The aim of a TQF should be to ensure that all the open educational resources that are being created collaboratively can be adapted into recognised courses that students can take for credit through the recognized institutions of the small states. The TQF is to act as a translation point for modules/units and qualifications between countries. An additional benefit of the TQF may be to discourage bogus providers, which are particularly active in trying to sell fake qualifications in the small states.

Regulatory and Policy Framework

The Vanuatu Qualifications Framework defines the qualifications recognised in TVET within Vanuatu. The Vanuatu Quality Training Standard defines the criteria and standards for registration of training organisations and course accreditation.

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

Vanuatu is a founder-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)

Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC)

Secretariat of the Pacific Board of Education Assessment (SPBEA)

Other regional agreements relevant to DE include:

African, Caribbean and Pacific Island States (ACP)-EU Partnership Agreement

Asian – Pacific Postal Union

Millennium Challenge Compact (with the United States)

Pacific Agreement on Closer Trade Relations (PACER)

Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA)

The Vanuatu Government is also party to a wide number of bilateral agreements on aid, primarily with AusAID, the New Zealand Aid Programme, UNICEF and a number of European Union agencies.

c) National regulations and policy

Business Licence Act (1998)

Education Act (2001)

Foreign Investment Promotion Act (1998)

International Companies Act (1992)

Vanuatu National Training Council Act (1999)

Education master plan 2000-2010 (1999)

Vanuatu Education Sector Strategy (VESS) 2007 – 2016 - Incorporating the Ministry of Education Corporate Plan and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for 2007 - 2009 (2006 Working draft)

Republic of Vanuatu TVET policy and strategy (2004)

Policy for open and distance education learning, Vanuatu (2009)

Vanuatu qualifications framework: draft November 2004

EFA national plan of action 2001-2015 Republic of Vanuatu (2004)

Vanuatu Education Sector Strategy 2007 – 2016

EFA National Plan Of Action 2001 - 2015

Education Master Plan 2000-2010

d) State/District regulations and policy

Any foreign distance education provider would be expected to comply with any relevant local legislation such as the Department acts, Municipal acts and Provincial acts. There are also Provincial Training Boards that function under the umbrella of the Vanuatu National Training Council (VNTC).

e) University policies

Vanuatu is one of twelve Pacific island states which jointly own the University of the South Pacific. However, the extent to which the Vanuatu Government is able to influence the direction of the USP is constrained by its minority stake-holding.