> FORUM BASIC EDUCATION ACTION PLAN - 2001
> Auckland, New Zealand
> 15 May 2001
> Preamble
> Ministers of Education of the Pacific Islands Forum met in Auckland on the
> 14th and 15th of May 2001, as directed by Forum Leaders in Palau in November 1999,
> to consider issues related to human resource development in the Forum region.
> 2. The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Young Vivian, Minister of
> Education for Niue. Ministers from Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,
> Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall
> Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga attended the meeting, with Australia,
> Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu and Vanuatu also represented. Observers from the ADB,
> DFID (UK), UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, SPC, SPREP and the USP were present.
> 3. Ministers deliberated on issues concerning the delivery of basic education to
> the peoples of the Pacific. Education Ministers noted that Leaders, in calling for this
> meeting, had asked them to consider the work of the Forum Economic Ministers in
> the area of human resources development, whose deliberations are set out in Annex 1.
> Pacific Vision for Basic Education
> 4. Ministers recognised that basic education is the fundamental building block
> for society. If this foundation is weak, then livelihoods are more difficult to pursue or
> students struggle in the higher reaches of education. Furthermore, through the
> teaching of health, culture, governance and other subjects basic education can
> engender the broader life skills that lead to social cohesion and which, when
> combined with an enhancing of employment opportunities, creates a higher level of
> personal and societal security.
> 5. As a first step Ministers agreed on the following as the vision and goals for
> Forum members:
> Vision
> Basic education as the fundamental building block for society should engender
> the broader life skills that lead to social cohesion and provide the foundations
> for vocational callings, higher education and life long learning. These when
> combined with enhanced employment opportunities create a higher level of
> personal and societal security and development.
> Forum members recognised that development of basic education takes place in
> the context of commitments to the world community and meeting the new
> demands of the global economy, which should be balanced with the
> enhancement of their own distinctive Pacific values, morals, social, political,
> economic and cultural heritages, and reflect the Pacific> '> s unique geographical
> context.
> Goal
> To achieve universal and equitable educational participation and achievement.
> To ensure access and equity and improve quality and outcomes.
> 6. In adopting this Vision Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Dakar
> 2000 Education for All Framework for Action goals and noted the actions being taken
> at the national level for the development of strategic plans. These goals are:
> · Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and
> education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
> · Ensuring that by 2015 all children, with special emphasis on girls and
> children in difficult circumstances and from ethnic minorities have access
> to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality.
> · Ensuring that learning needs of all young people and adults are met
> through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills
> programmes.
> · Achieving a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015,
> especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing
> education for all adults.
> · Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by
> 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on
> ensuring girls> '> full and equal access to and achievement in basic education
> of good quality.>
> · Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence
> for all, so that recognised and measurable learning outcomes are achieved,
> especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.
> 7. In addition Ministers committed themselves to the following specific
> strategies:
> · The promotion of different forms of secondary and vocational education.
> · To review the curricula of training centres and non-formal education
> programmes to match skills taught (outcomes) with the requirements for
> employment and livelihood in the traditional subsistence economy.
> · Develop non-formal education and work-based programmes in
> cooperation with civil society and the private sector.
> · Promote the role of civil society in providing non-formal skills training.
> Where to Now?
> 8. Ministers no ted that while basic education has been a priority in the region,
> this has not been turned fully into effective action. While recognising that some
> countries have made progress, and that the severity of problems with basic education
> varies significantly between countries, it appears that significant gains could be made
> through Forum members sharing their experiences - both successes and failures - in
> basic education. Ministers also noted the potential for sharing resources - particularly
> for inputs into basic education system - across the region.
> National and Regional Development Context
> 9. Ministers recognised that basic education has, by its nature, very broad and
> strong impacts on the potential for private sector development and for the success of
> students pursuing higher education. But it should also be acknowledged that it is a
> very intensive user of manpower and financial resources. The goals set for basic
> education and the strategies to be followed therefore need to be well integrated with
> national planning policies and planning frameworks.
> 10. Ministers therefore agreed that there is an urgent need for each country, in line
> with national development goals and commitments, to improve basic educational
> planning, through clearly identifying desired basic educational outcomes and the
> learning needs of individuals and groups in that society. To this end it was further
> agreed that:
> (a) national planning for universal and equitable educational participation
> must take into account:
> (i) the cultural, moral, social, political and economic contexts of
> education;
> (ii) the inter-relationships of the various levels of educational
> provisions and institutions.
> (b) in order to develop sound policy and planning frameworks it is essential to
> improve:
> (i) data and information collection and retrieval systems to provide
> accurate, timely, and relevant data for informed policy
> decisions;
> (ii) the capacity of national systems to develop coherent national
> educational plans through high level training of key personnel
> and strengthening of the human and material resources of
> planning units.
> (c) that Ministers of Education consider the setting up of a regional
> qualifications framework, covering basic, primary, secondary, TVET and
> tertiary education, benchmarked against appropriate international
> standards and qualifications.
> Delivery and Resourcing of Basic Education
> 11. Ministers acknowledged that there are weaknesses in education systems as
> indicated by drop-out and repeater figures and in terms of basic literacy and numeracy
> achievements. The school curricula, despite attempts at redirecting these to
> vocational needs, remain largely academic and do not fully meet needs of all Pacific
> students. The identified weaknesses in education systems can be summarised as:
> * alienation and poor performance of students, the result of:
> * the quality and number (relative to student numbers) of teachers;
> * the relevance and lack of Pacific foundation of the curriculum; and>
> * poor or unresponsive departmental and school managements;
> * poor resourcing of basic education, which could be overcome through:
> * re-prioritise education and national government spending;
> * improving the effectiveness of education spending; and
> * developing partnerships with CSOs, NGOs and the private sector.
> 12. Ministers identified an urgent need to address the provision of education to
> deliver better quality development and education outcomes, which has implications
> for the whole process of education, and requires policy, planning, and resources to
> achieve improvements in:
> · the competence and confidence of teachers with relevant skills and
> knowledge:
> · curriculum programmes;
> · the quality and relevance of teaching materials;
> · teaching methods and learning styles;
> · school management and culture;
> · the relationships with communities and stakeholders;
> · the quality of school buildings;
> · assessment procedures, which should be valid and reliable;
> · the participation of all stakeholders in the planning and delivery of
> education.
> Improving Quality in Basic Education
> 13. In reviewing the elements affecting the quality of education, Ministers further
> agreed on the following measures:
> (a) Early Childhood Education
> That while continuing with collaborative efforts with NGOs, church
> and community organisations in providing ECE to pre-school age
> children, government should address resource requirements for ECE
> teacher training and assess how ECE teachers can obtain appropriate
> status and conditions of employment.
> (b) Pre-Service Teacher Education
> (i) That upgrading of pre-service training programmes, staffing
> and resources at the training institutions that is either in process
> or is being anticipated in most training institutions, be fully
> addressed as a matter of priority.
> (ii) That induction for beginning teachers is formalised involving
> teacher training institutions, CDUs, field staff and schools.
> (iii) That small island states that do not have their own training
> institutions consider establishing teachers> '> centres to be used
> for complementary training of local trainees who are
> undertaking USP and other institutions> '> extension courses in
> Education as a route to a teacher qualification. A substantive
> position of a co-ordinator of the teachers> '> centre be established
> and filled by a qualified teacher educator who would also
> supervise school-based training of trainees.
> (c) In-Service Teacher Education
> (i) That existing data bases be further utilised to generate teacher
> supply projections where necessary and plans be implemented
> to train all untrained teachers as soon as practicable.
> (ii) That upgrading programmes be considered for serving teachers
> who are found to be partially trained as assessed against the
> level of pre-service training currently being offered in most FIC
> primary training institutions.
> (iii) That intensive in-service course targeting specific needs to
> teachers such as proficiency in English and skills in multi-class
> teaching be mounted in countries where teachers need such
> courses.
> (d) Classroom Teaching
> In accordance with the local database on the conditions that exist in
> school sin terms of the quality of classrooms and physical facilities,
> attention be paid to upgrading those classrooms which are currently
> impoverished and provide a sub-standard educational environment for
> teaching and learning.
> (e) Community Support
> That the current initiatives in promoting the active involvement of the
> school community in the affairs of the school be strengthened in order
> to enhance the quality of facilities and teaching-learning resources.
> (f) Towards Enhancing Professionalism in Teaching
> That enhancing professionalism in teaching, whereby the profession is
> guided by the ethos, standards and ethics of the profession itself, be>
> promoted as a long-term goal for enhancing teachers> '> capacity for
> managing changes and their identity as teachers.
> 14. Ministers acknowledged the value of using the indigenous language as the
> language of instruction in the early years of education.
> 15. Ministers noted that the development of information technology had greatly
> advanced the infrastructure available for the delivery of all education services,
> including in-service training of teachers, and urged that institutions involved in
> education services make greater use of this technology. However, Ministers noted
> that the cost of accessing this infrastructure is a serious impediment to widening its
> use and requested that their government urgently implement the measures
> recommended by Forum Economic Ministers and Communication Ministers to
> address this issue.
> Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
> 16. Ministers noted that a high proportion of students in the education system do
> not, or are unable to, aspire to carrying on their education through to formal tertiary
> education, and that the needs of these students were not yet adequately catered for.
> Having noted the Report of the Technical/Vocational Taskforce on Education and
> Training in the Pacific Region, Ministers agreed:
> (a) that, in accordance with existing national provisions for TVET,
> governments should endeavour to raise the status of TVET in national
> education policies;
> (b) that governments should endeavour to include TVET as a priority in
> their national plans;
> (c) that any work on financing of education include studies on how best to
> finance TVET, including through partnerships with the private sector,
> and associated requirements for the setting of a qualifications system;
> and
> (d) that UNESCO be invited to organise a Pacific Conference on the
> delivery of TVET skills development programmes and the provision of
> new programmes, with special consideration of standards and
> comparability of qualifications within and between Pacific countries.
> Financing Education
> 17. The key issue in improving the quality of basic education is its financing, an
> area that needs significantly more work. Ministers noted that governments have come
> under increasing community pressure to allocate greater public resources to
> improving the overall quality of basic education, and to bridge the yawning gaps
> between rural and urban education resources and outcomes.
> 18. Ministers acknowledged that with communities having to take on the bulk of
> the financial responsibility for preschools, this significantly disadvantages children
> from poorer families, despite evidence that > "> preschoolers> "> subsequently perform
> better academically, relative to those who did not attend pre-school. In this context
> Ministers also acknowledged that the current financing of education in the Pacific
> tends to emphasise secondary and post-secondary education at the expense of basic
> education.
> 19. These issues remain to be addressed and there is an urgent need for strong
> empirical research to identify the factors that are leading to good academic outcomes,
> and to reallocate financial resources to boost the efficiency and productivity of these
> factors throughout the education system. In this context the Ministers directed that
> the Forum Secretariat work with multilateral development institutions and other
> development partners to:
> (a) provide a synthesis of existing studies of financing education and
> analysis of other financing situations
> (b) further examine issues in regard to recurrent cost funding, including
> consideration of the concept that at least 10% of education budgets
> should be devoted to non-salary expenses such as books and in-service
> training and mechanisms through which to achieve this
> (c) analyse the implications of current and future funding capabilities and>
> needs in education and exploring effective options for achieving
> effective delivery of and improved outcomes from education in the
> Pacific.
> 20. Ministers noted that a number of problems faced by Forum Island Countries
> could be addressed through:
> (a) improved coordination among donors, and between donors and
> stakeholders, including Forum island governments; and
> (b) finding ways to better merge and share work on the development of
> basic education within developed countries.
> 21. Ministers welcomed the focus on human resource development in the regional
> strategy being developed for Economic Development Funding under the Cotonou
> Agreement. For programmes at the regional level Ministers requested that the Pacific
> ACP National Authorising Officers and the Regional Authorising Officer take into
> account this Forum Education Action Plan.
> Developing Partnerships
> 22. Ministers recognised that although government will continue as the major
> funder of basic education in order to protect access and equity, government funding
> alone will be insufficient to provide basic education for all. Greater participation by
> non-government partners can increase the level of resources available, and increase
> the relevance and effectiveness of the learning process.
> 23. Recognising that non-formal education (NFE) is an important strategy for
> development, Ministers agreed to address immediate NFE needs, including budgetary
> needs, by undertaking the following actions:
> (a) Provide effective communications linkages between NFE, microenterprise
> and micro-financing initiatives.
> (b) Establish a focal point (within the appropriate Ministry or department
> within a ministry) which has close partnerships with NFE providers.
> (c) Provide an enabling environment by actively co-ordinating NFE
> initiatives.
> (d) Develop clear and robust national policy on NFE.
> (e) Support training at national and regional levels for NFE key personnel.
> (f) Ensure effective evaluation and monitoring of NFE programmes.
> 24. In recognition of the partnership with civil society organisations (CSOs) and
> the private sector already in place in all Forum Island Countries in the provision and
> delivery of basic education, and to enhance the achievement of national, regional and
> international commitments, Ministers directed the Forum Secretariat, in association
> with other regional organisations and UN agencies, to document and quantify the
> contribution of civil society in the provision and delivery of basic education with the
> view to developing model enabling government/CSO partnership policies.
> Other Issues
> Gender and Equity Issues
> 25. Ministers noted that a key issue is equitable participation and achievement,
> including for both girls and boys, those from rural and urban areas and others who are
> disadvantaged in current system delivery. The commitments made under the Dakar
> 2001 Education for All Framework for Action were also noted and to further these
> Ministers agreed:
> (a) recognising and building on existing initiatives, and in fulfilment of
> existing commitments to the Pacific Platform for Action, the
> Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention for the
> Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, the
> Education for All and the World Social Summit, to encourage their
> governments to undertake the following actions:
> (i) at the national level undertake gender analysis of education
> access and quality and use the findings to support education
> policy revision and to ensure allocation of resources in support
> of gender equal education;
> (ii) collaborate with Ministers for Finance and Economics to
> support gender analysis of budget processes in order to
> highlight ways in which government budgets can more
> effectively support sustainable and equitable education and
> HRD;
> (iii) encourage teacher training institutions to utilise existing>
> regional and national services that are providing gender
> awareness training and data collection training;
> (iv) direct vocational and technical training institutions to provide
> data on enrolment and completion rates for men and women to
> government on an annual basis and encourage them to develop
> institutional gender policies in line with existing constitutional
> mandates and government commitments to gender equality;
> (v) review rules and regulations about treatment of students who
> become pregnant while in school and those with children to
> ensure they are not discriminated against under existing law.
> (b) Governments should consider other issues of equity, for example,
> access, socio-economic and variability as between rural and urban
> areas.
> (c) Direct the Forum Secretariat to undertake the following actions in
> promoting equitable education policies:
> (i) work with other regional and international agencies to develop
> quantitative and qualitative indicators and data categories to
> monitor equality in education.
> (ii) Devise strategies to include these indicators and categories in
> existing and new program activities such as household surveys
> and censuses across the region
> Teaching of Governance and Civics
> 26. Ministers emphasised the importance of encouraging children - as future
> adults - to participate fully in their societies, to which end basic education should
> address human rights, governance, the enhancement of Pacific heritages and
> participation in the global community. The curriculum should also encompass safety
> and wellbeing, including drug use and STD.
> 27. While recognising that concepts of governance can be reinforced in formal
> basic education through traditional curricula, such as history and social studies,
> Ministers agreed that ensuring that curricula, teacher training and resources cover the
> relevant material would be a valuable adjunct to the work already undertaken by civil
> society. In this regard Ministers agreed that:
> (a) Education for governance needs widespread support to be effective and
> for the formal sector requires explicit government recognition. In this
> respect it is suggested that education for governance be incorporated
> into national educational development plans as a key policy for HRD
> and that the component activities be catered for and supported in the
> national education budget.
> (b) National efforts in education for governance be extended to the wider
> community, through non formal educational, and to assist in this:
> (i) that a first phase of advocacy and awareness programs be
> undertaken with key stakeholders in education to build
> partnerships, networking and linkages aimed at promoting basic
> education for good governance;
> (ii) that formal and non formal providers of basic education be
> represented on national curriculum advisory bodies to provide
> advice on social science and the means for incorporating a
> governance focus in the content and delivery processes.
> (c) The lack of information on which to build good curricula and resource
> materials has been noted and suggests:
> (i) That agencies such as UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and USP be
> encouraged to set up web pages containing basic source
> material on education for governance.
> (ii) That the Forum Secretariat or the USP establish a collection of
> printed source material on educating for good governance.
> (iii) That a training component on case writing be integrated into
> CSO capacity building programs so as to encourage the
> documentation of field experiences and practices relating to
> education for good governance.
> (iv) That a directory of expertise on basic education for good
> governance be complied for purposes of strengthening
> networks and collaboration.
> Conclusions
> 28. Ministers agreed that education is the foundation for the process of economic
> and social development, and that a mechanism is required to ensure that the Pacific
> Vision and Strategies for Basic Education are actively pursued. Consequently
> Ministers recommend to Leaders that they meet on a regular basis.
> 29. Ministers requested that the Secretariat be mandated to facilitate the
> arrangements to bring about the implementation of the Forum Basic Education Action
> Plan.
> Annex 1
> FORUM ECONOMIC MINISTERS
> Apia, Samoa
> July 1999
> Decision on Human Resource Development
> 26. In our first two meetings, Economic Ministers focussed on the urgent need to
> improve governance, rebalance the public sector and attract investment. Nonetheless,
> we have recognised that there is a need to ensure that priorities are set such that
> economic and social development and our other strategic objectives will be
> effectively targeted. One such universal objective is the development of human
> resources in support of sustainable economic development. This requires, in turn, a
> refocusing of formal and informal education activities to better support the private
> sectors> '> needs through widening employment opportunities.
> 27. Accordingly, we have reviewed the current status and situation of both formal
> and informal education throughout the region and have considered priorities for
> human resource development that best meet the regions> '> strategic development
> objectives. We agree that:
> (i) high priority be given to education in national development planning
> and budgeting;
> (ii) increased emphasis is required on the foundation of training and
> education at the level of basic formal education.
> 28. We also consider that continuing efforts are required to bolster human
> resource development efforts and to this end direct the Secretariat to identify and to
> work with Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) and other
> relevant agencies.
> (i) to undertake further research in the delivery of basic level education in
> Forum countries and define the scope for involving the private sector
> (including civil society and non-government organisations) in the
> delivery of formal and non-formal education;
> (ii) to assist with the development of national human resource
> development and education strategic planning.
> 29. We recommend that Leaders consider the convening of an ad hoc meeting of
> Forum Ministers of Education and that this meeting consider the results of the work
> that we have directed to be undertaken in the area of human resources development.
> http://chacmool.sdnp.undp.org/pacific/forumsec/news/2001/May04.pdf
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