Education

Education

What we're doing in 2008

What we're doing in 2008

 

What we're doing in 2008

© UNICEF/1998/Accascina

Playtime in Fiji

Programme Strategies:

A primary aim of the UNICEF Education programme for Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands as the three priority countries, will be to increase by 10 percent the number of children completing the transition to a seventh year of formal education cycle or its non-formal equivalent. This will be achieved via targeted interventions linked to sector plans to ensure the timely enrolment of school agechildren and increase the number of young people transitioning between the primary and junior secondary cycle. Attention will also be given to increasing numeracy and literacy rates through capacity development, thereby improving the quality of teaching, school environment, and appropriateness of curricula. Innovative approaches will be explored such as non-formal education, addressing the holistic development of the child (both the affectiveand cognitive domains), and contributing to learning and motivation that allow and encourage children to remain at school and to complete basic education. Different but overlapping strategic approaches will be used to reach the desired goals.

At the regional level, UNICEF will support sectoral programming and policy development that draw upon a rights-based approach to ensure equitable provision of quality education for all children and young people. The programme component will use carefully evaluated child-friendly school initiatives as the key policy advocacy tool with Ministries of Education and key education sector partners to foster a holistic, whole school approach to quality education. Support will also be provided to national curriculum reform processes, teacher education needs, and school and student assessment processes to reflect and address emerging issues facing young people in the Pacific.

Continued education strengthening which is undertaken at a regional level will include continued collaboration amongst stakeholders through the EPG mechanism. Capacity will be built via strengthening supervision and monitoring of country Education programmes, encouraging and supporting staff training and preand in service curricula, ensuring effective planning processes which address the needs of the most marginalised, supporting retention of children at school in formal and non formal programmes. Evidence-based communication strategies will be used to improve communication by education providers and professionals.

UNICEF will influence education policies in Kiribati, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands by presenting evidence from a carefully evaluated essential package of interventions directed at schools in rural and remote areas during the early years of the new multi-country programme. Using advocacy this evidence will persuade these countries to progressively implement the strategies throughout the countries and ensure budgetary support. Evidence-based communication will be used to improve community awareness about children’s education and partnerships will be encouraged among stakeholders.

Implementing and coordination partners:
A national partnership for child survival, led by the Ministries of Education, will be established to coordinate planning for child education actions at country level. Synchronisation of various child-education strategies or programmes will encourage child enrolment and retention at primary school. Advocacy will be used to involve academic institutions, professional associations, and international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as influential partners in child education.