Ei-iE

Education union leaders from the Pacific Islands came together to share experiences, challenges, and Go Public! Fund Education campaign priorities in their respective countries.

The meeting took place from the 27th to the 31st of October, in the framework of the triennial conference of the Council of Pacific Education (COPE) that brings together education unionists from 11 countries.

Oceania suffers from dire teacher shortages

Teacher shortages, the direct result of underinvestment in education, plague the region. UNESCO reports that an additional 300,000 teachers will be needed in Oceania by the end of the decade. Without them, quality universal basic and secondary education for all cannot be realised. While a shortage of 300,000 teachers seems minor in comparison to other regions of the world, its impact is devastating for island nations with small populations.

Imperative need to establish a teacher workforce commission in the Pacific

During the opening of the COPE triennial conference, delegates called on guests Aseri Radrodro, Fijian Minister of Education, and on Agni Deo Singh, Fijian Minister of Employment, Productivity, and Industrial Relations to take the lead and establish a teacher workforce commission for the Pacific region. Strongly encouraged by the United Nations Recommendations on the teaching profession, the commission would be charged with the responsibility “to assess and tackle shortages of adequately trained teachers. Such commissions or mechanisms should address labour market analyses, recruitment, teacher migration, attrition and retention, compensation, status and rights, workload and well-being, equity (including the ratio of qualified teachers to students), equality and infrastructure”.

Domestic labour market pressures together with uncompetitive pay and overwhelming workloads are driving teacher shortages in the Pacific. Many teachers from island nations migrate to New Zealand and Australia, countries that offer far higher salaries and that use migration as a way to deal with their own teacher shortages. It was reported that in Fiji alone, 600 teachers were lost to New Zealand and Australia in a year.

National campaign plans

With the support of APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad, Education International is working with member organisations in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu to develop and implement national campaign plans that aim to ensure greater investment in teachers and in quality, inclusive, public education systems.

Vanuatu Teachers’ Union (VTU) General Secretary Jonathan Yonah stressed that “the Go Public! Fund Education campaign is a movement to promote and support public education by championing teachers, securing funding, and inspiring communities through media, advocacy and collaboration and ensure everyone is onboard.”

For Roselyn Mayble, youth representative of the Solomon Islands National Teacher Association (SINTA), “Go Public! Fund Education creates a space that allows us to raise our issues and gain support from our members, parents, and students. The priority issue for our union is to ensure we have a teacher-to-student ratio of 1:35 - that means a conducive working environment for teachers and better learning environment for students.”

“The Go Public! Fund Education campaign is important in Papua New Guinea because it aims to strengthen public education systems, ensure fair funding, and protect the rights of teachers and students. Our campaign priorities are to advocate for quality public education and the rights and welfare of teachers,” explained Samuel Rop, Assistant Secretary General of the Papua New Guinea Teachers Association.

Aukuso Uakesi, President of the Samoa National Teachers’ Association (SNTA), further acknowledged: “We have learnt a lot from the Go Public! Fund Education campaign. In Samoa, we are campaigning for our voice to be heard for greater investment in education. Without adequate funding, schools struggle and teachers burn out, and our students are the poorer. SNTA is growing its membership and taking our campaign message around the country directly to schools, or through media and church services.”

The Go Public! Fund Education campaign unites Pacific education unions in their struggle to address teacher shortages and push for greater investment in public education. By working together and advocating for better funding and support, these unions are taking important steps to improve education quality and teacher well-being across their region.