> Daniel Lamoureux, Principal of the National Institute of Technology (INTV) Vanuatu, and Chairman of the Vanuatu National Training Council
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>
> Forum Discussion Wednesday 28th March -
> Curriculum and Materials - Issues from the Region.
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>
> Introduction
> Distinguished delegates and members of the TVET family, thank you for the opportunity to share some developments and issues from Vanuatu. We have always used the term > '> family> '> within INTV, the National Institute of Technology where I am based. More recently, we have used this term to cover all the stakeholders in Vanuatu> '> s TVET family. I look forward to working as part of the Pacific region TVET family.
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> I> '> ll begin with a quick overview of my country and recent developments in TVET, identify some issues which form a background to our curriculum needs, and conclude with two proposals for regional cooperation.
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> Vanuatu and TVET
> The Republic of Vanuatu became independent in 1980 after a 76 year period as the Anglo-French condominium of New Hebrides. Vanuatu has over 112 dialects, united by the common language of Bislama. This, together with English and French, form the three main languages.
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> A population of 187,000 is spread across an archipelago of 83 islands. 146,600 (78.5%) live in rural areas. 70% of people over 15 years old are engaged in subsistence agricultural activities.
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> Road systems on many islands are poor or non existent. Inter island shipping is infrequent and unreliable. Air flights are expensive. There are only four all weather airfields.
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> Cultural traditions and village customs play an important part, as does religion.
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> 43% of the population is under 15 years old. Over 70% of young people are > '> pushed out> '> of the system from the end of Year 6 (at the end of primary school) because of the lack of school places. This is a time bomb which we must address.
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> There is urban drift and a growing urban poverty problem. Unless this is addressed it will undermine our economy, investment opportunities, and harmony. The formal sector employment is small but growing at a steady rate and more quickly than the population rate. Over 60% of employers report difficulty in recruiting skilled employees.
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> Since 1996 the Government has planned and implemented a national plan called the Comprehensive Reform Program (CRP) to reform the economic sector, restructure the public service, and to address social development. This rolling plan now firmly recognising the important contribution of the TVET system.
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> Priority industries in Vanuatu include:
> * Tourism and hospitality
> * Agriculture, including fisheries, from sustenance farming to commercial, export quality.
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> Over 80% of businesses in the formal economy are in the service industries. My Institute> '> s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Advisory Committee has requested the doubling of our training effort. On their part, they will provide jobs for the graduates. Unfortunately, the lack of resources constrains our response. There are major skill needs in small business and enterprise development, accounting, computing, language and communications, management skills, and in building, construction, electrical, mechanical at basic trade level and using local resources. Almost all the operators in the informal economy survey requested training, but a large proportion did not know who to approach.
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> The Rural Training Needs Survey identified action training needs in areas such as constructing underground wells, solar, hydro and wind power, nurse aids, strengthening of community participation and building community cooperation, building cyclone resistant houses using local resources, forestry management, and income generation.
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> 80% of community leaders identified unemployment resulting from lack of skills particularly among youth as their major concern.
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> The formal TVET providers include the National Institute of Technology where I am Principal, and a number of specialist colleges - the Maritime College, a Nursing > School, a Police Training School, a Government Training Centre to train the public service, and a proposed Agriculture College.
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> There is a wide range of non formal providers including the Mothers Union, Women> '> s groups, a Rural Skills Training Program, Church organisations. The most significant of the non-formal rural training providers are the Rural Training Centres. They are represented at this conference by John Liu, Executive Director of their National Association.
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> Our recent national forum identified the urgent need to improve coordination across the TVET system.
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> The development of a national TVET system
> TVET is finding its voice in Vanuatu. Many things have come together in the last year which have led to widespread agreement about the shape of a TVET system which is distinctly ni-Vanuatu.
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> INTV is developing as Vanuatu> '> s unique national TVET Institute. It is a dual language Institute, with courses offered in both English and French. With assistance from AusAID, the National Institute of Technology (INTV) is benefiting from a seven year Institutional Strengthening project. This has assisted the Institute with management, curricula and teacher development, and has provided new and refurbished buildings and equipment. INTV is also assisted by the French Government, currently in an innovative solar energy project, and by the British Government with our Finance Sector Training Unit and the development of small business training.
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> As part of the new Education Master Plan, legislative changes are being introduced to strengthen the education system. Under these changes, a new statute for INTV goes before Parliament in May. The Bill recognises INTV> '> s national role and provides for new functions in TVET teacher development, TVET curricula development, and rural development, including the establishment of provincial training centres.
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> The Vanuatu National Training Council was launched in 2000. The early efforts of this Council have led to it being identified as the preferred agency to coordinate the development of a new TVET system.
> We have a unique snapshot of our training needs from the 1999 census, and the 2000 labour market survey, informal sector survey, rural training needs analysis, poverty assessment report, and the findings of the decentralisation review committee.
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> With the assistance of the Asian Development Bank, a major skills development report was completed and a few weeks ago, key TVET stakeholders came together for a week to agree on the goals, objectives, and shape of the new system. The system will bring together the formal and the non-formal providers, with a new commitment to cooperation and use of existing infrastructure. The objective of the new TVET system is to provide maximum opportunities through formal and non formal approaches, to acquire lifelong skills, knowledge and values for all. This is placed under the wider development role of: through choice, improve the quality of life by attaining individual, community, and national development goals.
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> We have agreed that lifelong learning is an alternative and better approach to the old distinctions between the formal and non formal providers. The new system will:
> * strengthen TVET teacher development, curricula development, community development, management and entrepreneurial skills
> * establish Provincial Training Centres and develop a robust strategy for addressing the needs of youth who have been pushed out of the system
> * strengthen the coordination of the system under the Vanuatu National Training Council and the Ministry of Education
> * strengthen the policy base for TVET
> * establish a Training Trust Fund and other strategies to provide sustainable funding.
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> Curriculum and other issues
> The key issues we face are:
> * We have a small population and our TVET system is too small and young to try to do everything ourselves. >
> * We need access to user friendly curricula and teaching and learning materials. We do not need to reinvent the wheel. We can quickly adapt materials to our needs.
> * In the immediate future at least, we need print based materials.
> * We need to take immediate action to take skills and life training to rural areas. We need help in extending our delivery modes and materials appropriate to rural areas.
> * We must find solutions to the > '> pushing out> '> of over 70% of our young people from the schools system. This is a national tragedy which will breed serious social issues. We also need to address the early streaming of other young people into academic or technical education, or to elite or other schools. The schools system and the TVET system have a responsibility to address these problems with urgency.
> * We have to find sustainable and cost effective ways to meet the unmet demand for TVET.
> * We have to do everything we can to secure Government recognition and support for the non-formal TVET sector. These providers are a critical component of a sustainable ni-Vanuatu approach. The Rural Training Centres and their Association are an important resource for taking more TVET to the rural areas.
> * We need to add values education to our competency based training approach. Our TVET system has to contribute to development, peace, and stability in Vanuatu. I thank Dr. Lourdes Quisumbing for her insight on this.
> * We need our teachers to be as skilled in community liaison and development as in industry liaison.
> * TVET teacher training and development is a critical issue, and we are keen to work with others in this area. Expatriate teachers were the only teachers at INTV until as late as 1992. We are still building a pool of qualified and experienced TVET teachers for both the formal and the non-formal sectors.
> * We need help in leaping ahead with our use of information technologies.
> * We must speed up the development of our TVET system. This includes the development of a qualification system and accreditation guidelines. We need to replace the reliance on unstructured training with a structured, recognised approach.
> * We need to strengthen our policy development skills and strengthen the role of Government in supporting and recognising the TVET system.
> * Donor and aid agencies need to be more rigorous in finding ways of harmonising their approaches.
> * We must keep our focus on sustainability.
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> Recommendations
> Let me conclude with two recommendations which are consistent with the Seoul Congress agreements. I hope this conference will take further:
> * That a regional workshop is held later this year to share approaches and resources for TVET teacher training and development;
> * That a regional workshop is held later this year to share approaches and resources for TVET curricula development.
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> There are many more recommendations I could propose but these two would provide the most immediate value to a country like Vanuatu.
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> About the author
> Daniel Lamoureux is the Principal of INTV, the National Institute of Technology in Vanuatu. He is also the Chairperson of the Vanuatu National Training Council and Chairperson of a Task Force on Private Investment in Education and Training in Vanuatu. He was the keynote speaker at a recent national forum on the development of a comprehensive TVET system in his country.
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> Mr. Lamoureux was educated in Vanuatu, France, and Australia. He has a background in retail and marketing, and in student counselling and welfare.
> http://www.ait.tafe.sa.edu.au/unevoc/2001conf/downloads/Lamoureaux_paper.doc
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