The education leaders from 11 Pacific Island countries who participated in the biennial meeting in Pohnpei from 11 to 13 February used this opportunity to provide updates on the status of education in their respective countries.
Key findings from the 2024 edition of the Status of Pacific Education Report include noteworthy improvements in access to free and compulsory education, with 60% of these countries now ensuring at least nine years of basic education.
Since 2010, the Pacific region has made considerable progress in reducing upper secondary out-of-school rates, with the average dropping from 34% to 17.74% by 2023, according to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
However, challenges remain with regard to student schooling completion rates, digital infrastructure and teacher training.
The Pacific Heads of Education Systems have vowed to accelerate progress towards achieving the goals of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, which intersects with Sustainable Development Goal 4 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The discussions in Pohnpei focused on enhancing education resilience by strengthening learning systems, equipping educators with the necessary skills and motivation and leveraging technology to improve access and adaptability. Additionally, leaders explored diverse education pathways for higher education and technical and vocational education and training.
UNESCO managing the Secretariat for the biennial meeting
The Pacific Heads of Education Systems meet every two years to deliberate on regional education priorities and collaborative strategies for strengthening education systems.
UNESCO manages the Secretariat for this biennial meeting. UNESCO Regional Education Specialist Mary Anne Therese Manuson and UNESCO consultant Varunesh Rao will be attending the meeting of the Steering Committee for the Pacific Heads of education Systems in Nadi, Fiji, from 4 to 6 August 2025.
Producing regional products for national education systems
This year, the meeting theme was Transforming Education for a Resilient and Empowered Pacific. The meeting provided a platform for dialogue on progress in the education sector, policy implementation and future directions under the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF), a regional initiative implemented since 2021 by UNESCO, UNICEF, the University of the South Pacific, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and the Australia Pacific Training Coalition.
PacREF is producing regional products for use by national education systems. These goods cover a wide range of areas, including curricula, training materials for teachers and policy-makers, education strategies and policies.
PacREF is also undertaking research into how best to integrate neurodiverse pupils into the education system, supporting the strengthening of education management information systems and providing guidance on how to mainstream transferable skills into teaching and learning.
PacREF is financed through a consortium of donors, including the Global Partnership for Education, the governments of New Zealand and Australia, and the Asian Development Bank. A key outcome of the meeting was the decision to extend PacREF to April 2026.
UNESCO fostering quality STEM education
Beyond PacREF, UNESCO’s Office for the Pacific States in Apia is currently implementing a three-year project in Samoa and the Solomon Islands which is working with local stakeholders to improve science education at school level and prepare students better for the transition from secondary school to academic, technical or vocational education and training.
The project got under way in February with UNESCO coordinating an evidence-based analysis of the science education system in both countries. The findings from this study were submitted to stakeholders for their feedback at a national workshop on 7 April held in each of Samoa and Solomon Islands in order to finalise the assessment report.
The project is now implementing the recommendations which emerged from these national assessments, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, specialists responsible for curriculum development and teacher training, the private sector and teaching community.
The science education project in Samoa and Solomon Islands is being supported by the UNESCO International Institute for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education, which was established in Shanghai, China, in November 2023.
