The Government of Kiribati defines basic education as 6 years of primary school (ages 6 to 11) and 3 years of junior secondary (ages 12 to 14) (UNESCO 2003). Institutes of senior secondary education, for students 15 to 18 years of age, are also present on the atolls, although many are church-run and not categorized as basic education (MoE 2008b). Education in Kiribati is free and compulsory for ages 6 to 14, but not for senior secondary education. The quality of education is low throughout the country, especially in outer islands (UNICEF 2005). 

Kiribati offers free and compulsory universal primary education. The GER and NER at the primary level in 2008 were 100% and 93% respectively, with a Gender Parity Index (GPI) of 1.01 for each. The GER and NER for junior secondary schools in the same year were 89% and 69% with GPIs of 1.06 and 1.08. The GER and NER for senior secondary education in 2008 were much lower at 52% and 48% with GPIs of 1.26 and 1.28 (MoE 2008a). The GPIs at every level indicate that Kiribati has achieved near gender parity in education, with girls outnumbering boys, especially at the secondary level. The primary to secondary transition rate was 34% as of 1992 (UIS 2009). A very high percentage of children attend schools in urban areas, causing over-crowding in city schools and low enrolments in outer islands. This is especially true of secondary schools, which are concentrated on South Tawara. Comparatively few students who attend primary school in outer islands are qualified to enter secondary school because of lower education quality in outlying schools and resultant low student achievement levels. 

Kiribati has only 1 school which offers specialized support to children with disabilities and special needs. It is located on Tarawa and supported by the Red Cross and local and international donations.

Kiribati has succeeded in expanding access to school, but concerns about quality persist. Student learning outcomes are measured by national examination results, which are generally low, and deduced from data on teachers which shows they mostly have limited qualifications and experience at the higher levels. For example, in 2008, 88% of primary teachers were qualified and 90% of junior secondary school teachers were qualified, compared with only 37% in church schools and 64% in senior secondary schools (MoE 2008a). A shortage of resources within schools and poor physical facilities contribute to low-educational quality. On the outer islands, providing education proves difficult and costly because of poor communications and transport, and the expense of serving small, remote schools (UNESCO 2008). They are further disadvantaged by poorer facilities, less qualified teachers, and the difficulty they present in terms of Ministry supervision. Therefore, schools on South Tarawa tend to be over-crowded with students sent in from outer islands, seeking a higher quality of education than their local school can provide (UNICEF 2005). The SPBEA monitor the literacy, numeracy, science and Te-Kiribati achievements in primary schools. Student achievement falls within 6 levels with Level 5, the highest level, being the level students should achieve if the curriculum is being taught and learned satisfactorily. The 2004 results for Class 4 and 6 English, Kiribati and Maths shows over 80% of those who sat the tests achieved Level 1-0 and less than 2% achieving Level 5 (MoE 2008b).

Educational management is highly centralized in Kiribati. The Ministry of Education is the official administrating body for primary and junior secondary school. However, they are not the only provider of senior secondary education, with various churches also offering an alternative, albeit with limited autonomy. The Laws of Kiribati CAP 29 provides the legislative authority for running the school system, however regulations and guidelines to needed to support some key functions are weak or non-existent. Therefore, Kiribati faces problems of education management such as enforcing compulsory attendance, teacher registration, accreditation of schools and controlling student migration to Tarawa. Goal 5 of the Education Sector Strategic Plan is to strengthen the legislative and regulatory framework for managing the school sector in response to these management problems (MoE 2008b). 

Providing basic education for all children is a top priority in Kiribati. In the Education Strategic Plan 2008-11, the Ministry set forth its priorities for the planning period: to upgrade primary schools using the National Infrastructure Standard (NIS) already developed; develop NIS for managing future upgrades of secondary schools and Kiribati Teacher College (KTC); and implement a sustainable facilities maintenance schedule. Furthermore, comprehensive reform of primary and secondary school curricula and assessments will be undertaken with the goal of improving quality. For the 2008-11 planning period, development of a National Curriculum and Assessment Framework, the review of language and literacy curriculum, setting national benchmarks and providing curriculum resources and training to support implementation of new curriculum are all priorities. The Ministry also plans to develop a policy for the use of ICT and Media Enhanced Learning in schools with a view to future development in these areas (MoE 2008b).