Global Study On Child Poverty And Disparities (PDF) - Social Policy ...

Early marriage may be encouraged for daughters’
protection, family honour and social obligation.
There is evidence to suggest that girls who marry
at young ages are more likely to marry older men
and consequently are more likely to become
widows at an early age. The MICS survey
indicates that 32 per cent of currently married
females age 15-19 were married to men 10 or
more years older than them, while 10 per cent of
women age 20-24 are currently married or in a
union with a man who is 10 years older or more.
Education
Education in not compulsory in Vanuatu, and
enrolments and attendance are among the
lowest in the Pacific. The education system
consists of early childhood centres for children
age 3 to 5, primary education (years 1 to 6) for
ages 6 to 12, junior secondary education (years
7 to 10) for ages 13 to 16, senior secondary
education (years 11 to 13/14) for age 17 to 20,
and tertiary education for ages 13 to 18. The
Ministry of Education is currently in the process
of extending primary schooling to year 8, to cater
for students to age 14 (ADB 2009a, pp. 93-95).
The government has recently announced an
initiative to abolish school fees. Instituting free
education at the primary level is expected to
deliver significant improvements in enrolment and
education outcomes. 16
As with health, the dispersed population presents
a major challenge to service delivery and per
unit costs in the education sector. In 2007, 25.8
per cent of total government expenditure went
to education, an increase of 4.5 per cent since
2005. This represented 6.0 per cent of GDP
in 2007, compared with 4.8 per cent in 2005
(Ministry of Education 2007). While the level of
funding is high, outcomes remain poor. Aside
from geography, other significant constraints
include a lack of qualified personnel and
cultural constraints to school enrolment, such
as expectations for children’s contribution to
subsistence agriculture.
National laws, policies and
programmes
In 2006, the Government of Vanuatu endorsed
the Sector Wide Approach Planning Strategy to
lead the development of the Vanuatu Education
Sector Strategy 2007–2016. This strategy was
16 The main source consulted for this section was the Ministry of Education’s Digest 2007,
which summarizes key indicators and budget allocations for different levels of education
across Vanuatu and within each region. Additional information on policy development,
strategies and country plans are from outside sources, including the ADB Economic Report
2009 and a review of NZAID funding commitments in Vanuatu.
developed through a consultation process initiated
by the National Education Summit of Education
in 2006, and was approved by the Development
Committee of Offices and the Council of Ministers.
Its core goals include achieving universal primary
education completion; strengthening literacy,
language skills and numeracy; developing a
national pre-school curriculum and training
programme; improving curriculum at all levels;
improving training of teachers and decreasing
teacher-pupil ratios; improving facilities and
resources; improving relationships with parents
and improving management. The high-level
PAA also establishes key strategic directions
for education: improving access and ensuring
a gender and rural/urban balance; raising the
quality and relevance of education; improving
planning and fiscal management, and developing
a distinctive Vanuatu education system. In 2009,
Planning Long, Acting Short further prioritised
improving quality and phasing out primary school
fees. As a result of these developments, a more
focused plan is elaborated in the draft Vanuatu
Education Road Map 2009. Its key targets are
increasing net primary enrolments to 85 per cent
by 2011 and 100 per cent by 2015 (an MDG
goal); increasing literacy and numeracy skills;
increasing the number of certified teachers;
increasing technical and vocational enrolments
and strengthening financial management in the
sector.
The key strategy is to ensure fee-free primary
schools by 2012. This will be done through
government grants to schools so that they
can eliminate fees. In 2010 it was expected
that parents will see a decline of fees by up to
VUV5,000 per child, with grants to schools of
about VUV6,800 per child. By 2012 it is expected
there will be no need for compulsory parental
contributions. The initiative is expected to cost
about VUV500 million per year from 2012.
Co-funded by NZAID and AusAID, the Vanuatu
Education Support Action Plan was launched in
June 2008, expected to build the capacity of the
Ministry of Education to deliver a “higher quality
of education to all children in Vanuatu.” The
funds will also enable the Ministry to renovate 25
primary schools and buy supplies for the students
(NZAID 2008). The Plan also supports the Primary
Education Improvement Project to improve
teacher quality. AusAID, New Zealand, the
European Union, France and the World Bank also
contributed $2.5 million (to Vanuatu’s Education
Sector Annual Plan 2007–2008 to improve basic
education through curriculum reform, teacher
training and purchasing of supplies.
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