Page 15 - Islands Business February 2023

Pacific Heads of Education Systems Steering Committee members, PacREF implementing agencies and donor agencies representatives Prof Pal Ahluwalia and Mr Semi Tukuna at Laucala PacREF Programme Focal Points, Dr. Tangikina Moimoi Steen (Tonga), Ms Danielle Cochrane (Cook Islands), PacREF Coordinator, Mr Filipe Jitoko.
with the Deputy Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dr Filimon Manoni following the PHES-SC meeting last year. Campus, Suva. Ms Anna Smeby (UNICEF), Mrs Carol Edwards (Niue), Ms Vau Paseta (Samoa) during the EQAP MEL workshop in
Nadi last year.
Conference of Pacific Education Ministers aims to good practices globally and regionally, identify areas for collaboration and our borders,” says the University of the South Pacific’s Institute of Educa-
“The conference will be an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and
tion Director, Dr Seu’ula Johansson-Fua.
strengthen regionalism among PICs Education sectors explore innovative approaches in education that member countries can especially on using classroom data to design context-specific and targeted
The USP-IOE looks forward to sharing with participants about their work,
learn from as they develop their education systems to deliver educational
programmes that empower people of the Pacific to make their own deci-
sions regarding their future,” Mr Jitoko continued. professional development programmes.
“More specifically, we hope to share our experiences working with teach-
The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Vice-Chancellor and Pres- It focuses its activities on quality and relevance, accessible learning ers and school leaders around the region.
ident, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, is counting on Pacific Island Countries pathways, and the teaching profession that will maximise sustainable Fiji to share learnings on the PacREF programme IOE hopes to learn useful lessons from the Conference, especially on
(PICs) education ministers and leaders to focus attention on providing gains in students’ learning outcomes and well-being. Fiji’s Minister for Education, Honourable Aseri Radrodro, will be attend- recognising Pacific cultures and languages and how to mainstream these
leadership at the national level, especially with the integration of the Pa- As the hosting organisation of the Pacific Regional Education Frame- ing the CPEM and is grateful for the opportunity to meet with regional ed- into the Pacific’s education system.
cific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) activities in their national work (PacREF) Facilitating Unit, Professor Ahluwalia has also affirmed ucation leaders and stakeholders to engage in discussions related to the “The real empowerment of Pacific people comes when Pacific people’s
education plans. USP’s commitment towards the programme and supports the Forum Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) and the 2030 Agenda. culture, languages, arts and knowledge systems are affirmed as the foun-
Professor Ahluwalia remarked as Pacific Islands Forum Education Leaders’ political commitment to regionalism to attain higher quality edu- Hon Radrodro says he hopes the roundtable discussions and network- dational starting point for education, for research and for development of
leaders, senior government officials, development partners, civil society cation for the region. ing sessions during the CPEM will provide a space for sharing national Pacific people,” Dr Seu’ula said.
organisations, policymakers, students, and educators prepare to meet for “The University as the host of the PacREF Facilitating Unit will ensure experiences and challenges, learning from each other in how they have “The ‘relevancy’ and consequently the ‘quality’ of our education begins
the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) that will that the spirit of cooperation amongst the respective partnering agencies responded to global challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change, with recognising our culture and languages in our education systems,” she
be held from the 20-22 March 2023 in Auckland New Zealand. is promoted and sustained for the robust implementation of PacREF. and innovative recovery strategies which could be useful to apply in their added.
The conference with the theme ‘Empowering Education for Pacific “USP will continue to work closely with Pacific Island countries, stake- own situation.
People” will be hosted by the New Zealand government and is jointly holders, and donors to enhance the quality of education across the region “This year, there are several excellent topics that have been planned for
organised by New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and USP through improved learners’ education outcomes and training of high-qual- discussion, and I’m interested to learn more on how other countries have
through the PacREF Facilitating Unit (PFU). ity graduates, who will be better positioned to contribute to their commu- effectively integrated the PacREF key policy areas into their own national
“The intention of the PacREF is to complement efforts by PICs to re- nity,” Professor Ahluwalia added. education sector plans,” Hon Radrodro said.
alise their education goals, recognising limited capacities and resources. Hon Radrodro believes that the input from civil society organisations will
Driven by the principle of regionalism, PacREF provides a mechanism for Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) to identify areas provide a wider perspective on the thematic discussions in Auckland.
collaboration between countries, Implementing Agencies (IAs) and De- of action in the education sector “It is an excellent opportunity to share learning and to hear ideas from
velopment Partners (DPs) for the collective benefit of the region and indi- The Conference also seeks to mobilise resources to address some of stakeholders about how we can all work together to identify key education
vidual countries. It is therefore important for all member countries to work the Pacific’s most pressing education challenges due to the impact of glo- priorities in the Pacific. I also look forward to learning more about sustain-
together with IAs and DPs in the spirit of regionalism in implementing the balisation and the COVID-19 pandemic. able regional education financing and ways to build stronger schools and
PacREF programme,” Professor Ahluwalia said. The discussions will focus on the sub-themes, quality and relevance, education systems to respond to the impacts of climate change.”
“It is through our collective action that PICs would not only be able to education financing, building resilience, education access, inclusion, and
meet their local education targets, but the region’s Sustainable Develop- equity. Recognition of Pacific culture and language
ment Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4,” he added. These sub-themes are specifically chosen to focus discussions around “As an implementing agency in the region, it is important for us and for
The conference is expected to host over 50 participants and will pro- skills-based training and TVET, maintenance of culture and language, Pa- me personally, to have the opportunity to reconnect again with Ministers
vide a platform for discussion on key education challenges within the re- cific indigenous knowledge and pedagogies, non-cognitive skills, regional and officials from the member countries since the global pandemic closed
gion and how the region is progressing towards the goals of the Pacific education financing and governance, building resilient education systems
Regional Education Framework (PacREF) and 2030 Agenda. and teaching for inclusion and equity.
“I look forward to meeting with our education leaders and stakeholders “The Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) brings together About PacREF
who have been driving the development of education in the region and education stakeholders in the region to discuss emerging issues impacting The Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) is a ground-breaking regional initiative designed to support and address ongoing challenges
especially using this opportunity to dialogue and listen to countries share the region, such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, digital tech- to improving the Pacific region’s education system. Fifteen Pacific Island countries are participating in the PacREF programme implementation.
their experiences and challenges,” Prof Ahluwalia continued. nologies, connectivity, and social media, which directly impact the lives of The adoption of the PacREF 2018-2030 by Forum Education Ministers in 2018 outlined the transformative and sustainable regional education
“We can learn from one another and also find ways to collaborate.” Pacific children and influence their behaviour and lifestyles. Therefore, it is agenda aligned with global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG4, the education goal and Education
The PacREF Programme supports the Forum Leaders’ commitment important for the education sector in the region to discuss ways to respond 2030: Incheon Declaration on Education for All Framework for Action. The implementing agencies for PacREF are the Secretariat of the Pacific
to work together to achieve the “Pacific Vision” to build a Pacific that is as a region to these issues,” said PacREF Facilitating Unit (PFU) Coordi- Community (SPC) - Educational Quality & Assessment Programme (EQAP), USP - Pacific TAFE, Institute of Education (IOE), Discipline of
working towards ensuring economic growth, sustainable development, nator, Mr Filipe Jitoko. Education (DOE), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and
strengthened governance systems and institutions and security and pros- This would be the first time that other stakeholders such as civil society Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC).
perity for all. organisations, teachers, and students would be part of the CPEM.
The PacREF programme supports the Forum Leaders’ Pacific Vision “Their contribution to the roundtable discussions would be greatly wel- For more information, please contact:
by supporting Pacific developing countries in addressing their ongoing comed, especially since they are important stakeholders in steering educa- Ms Kelera Serelini-Varawa, PacREF Facilitating Unit (PFU), Tel: +679 2729060, kelerayani.varawa@usp.ac.fj
challenges to improving the quality of education. tion forward for the region.
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