The main areas of interventions by UNESCO (2008-13):
UNESCO will assist Kiribati to develop its education system in order to capably enable children and its youth to manage and participate effectively in their changing world.
- Increase ECCE participation through a high quality programme based on pre-primary curriculum
- Review and update policies on ECCE;
- Develop curriculum and integrated curriculum framework;
- Training of teachers, encourage participation, and collect/analyze data (0-3 yrs).
- Improve effectiveness of primary, junior secondary, and secondary education
- Review policies, teacher effectiveness, and management staffing;
- Integrate cultural/traditional norms into curriculum at all levels;
- Develop systems to monitor literacy at all levels.
- Enhance TVET (Second Chance Education)
- Provide training to alleviate shortage of qualified teachers;
- Capacity building for administrators/teachers.
- Improve gender equity measures
- Improve quality of education
- Training, monitoring of teachers and staff;
- Revising curriculum and opening doors for vocational training.
- Inclusive Education
- Formulating policy for inclusive education including students with disabilities; gifted students; and remote and isolated students (UNESCO 2008).
Proposed UNESCO interventions:
- Sector analysis, policy & planning and management of the education sector;
- Improvement of the decline of literacy;
- Teacher quality in all levels of education;
- Technical and vocational education and training (TVET);
- Gender equality in education (UNESCO 2008).
Major development partners active in education and broad areas of intervention:
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF):
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) personnel, in partnership with School Management Committees, parents and communities plan, implement, monitor and evaluate child centred formal and non formal education programmes that are inclusive of diversities in Kiribati (urban-outer island, special needs etc.).
- Primary and junior secondary teachers to have strategies for assessment and record keeping, student follow up and transfers.
The Australian Agency for International Development (Aus Aid):
- Government funding/aid to improve quality of education (UNESCO 2008).
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
- Support the preparation of newly proposed ICT-based education;
- Raise regional and national capacity to support technical and vocational education and training frameworks to address private sector demands, the needs of the informal economy, and gender equity (ADB 2010).
Non governmental organizations (NGOs):
- Promote disability awareness in all Kiribati's communities to help change attitudes towards the disabled and make schools more inclusive. - Te Toa Matoa.
- Support and empower the local NGO community to achieve their development goals through their own initiatives, working in partnership with government and donors. - KANGO (Kiribati Association of Non-Governmental Orgs) (Commonwealth of Nations n.d.).
