Another Boost for Quality Primary Education in Vanuatu

PORT VILA, 14 December 2011 –The Government of Vanuatu today launched a set of newly developed standards to improve quality primary education in the nation. The Vanuatu Minimum Quality Standards for Primary Schools will help guide Primary School Committees to use their school grants to provide all students with a quality primary education.

The 15 quality standards respond to the most relevant and pressing needs for guidance expressed by stakeholders in the education sector. They include guidance on improving access to schools, effective teaching and learning, gender equality, protection of children and strengthening community participation and day to day management of schools. The quality standards will enable tangible implementation and monitoring of key strategic goals of the Vanuatu Education Road Map (VERM) addressing holistic development of schools under the 2011-2015 Ministry of Education’s Corporate Plan.

During today’s launch, Representative Dr Isiye Ndombi of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Pacific shared: “The standards support the delivery of primary education which is available, accessible, affordable and acceptable to all. They are for all children in Vanuatu regardless of gender, ability or background. The standards support the removal of barriers to children’s education, so that all children can complete primary school education and achieve the national prescribed learning outcomes. Ultimately, this will help all children to acquire the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes which are necessary to become responsible, active and productive citizens of Vanuatu”.

The Director General of the Ministry of Education, Mr Jesse Dick, said that the development of the national school quality standards is one of many steps to boost the quality of education in Vanuatu and will eventually lead to the achievement of MDG 2 (Universal Primary Education). He added that he is very pleased with the outcome of all the consultations and the hard work of many educators, communities and students involved.

“The Ministry would like to thank and recognise the collaboration of the VERM pool partners, Australia, New Zealand and UNICEF, for their support in the development of the Vanuatu Minimum Quality Standards for Primary Schools. This is another important step in the journey of school improvement initiatives”, said Mr Jesse Dick.

“UNICEF Pacific highly values the fruitful cooperation between the Ministry of Education, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management to ensure that all primary schools in Vanuatu have access to school grants. This innovative partnership is unique in the Pacific and is an excellent example of how Ministries can work together for the benefit of improving the quality of education for all Vanuatu citizens. Supporting this partnership the quality standards provide a great example of how to ensure fairness and inclusion of all children, including the most vulnerable and marginalised, in primary education. We wholeheartedly congratulate Vanuatu with this excellent achievement”, Dr Ndombi said.

ENDS

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