About the PRIDE Project

The Project is being implemented by the Institute of Education at the University of the South Pacific. The Project is jointly funded by the European Union (EU) through the European Development Fund (EDF) and New Zealand through New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID).

PRIDE serves;Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The PRIDE Project seeks to enhance student learning in fifteen Pacific countries by strengthening the capacity of each Ministry of Education (or equivalent) to plan and deliver quality basic education. The PRIDE Project defines basic education as all education provisions for children and youth except higher education. It includes early childhood, elementary, primary and secondary education, together with Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET), and covers both the formal and non-formal sectors.

Overall Objective                            
To enhance the capacity of Pacific education agencies to effectively plan and deliver quality basic education through formal and non-formal means, and to improve the coordination of donor inputs to assist countries implement their plans.

Purpose
To expand opportunities for children and youth to acquire the values, knowledge and skills that will enable them to actively participate in the social, spiritual, economic and cultural development of their communities and to contribute positively to creating sustainable futures.

Expected Results
The project will result in strategic plans for education in all of the fifteen participating countries; each formulated through wide consultation with all stakeholders including, teachers, parents, pupils, community and private sector groups. The project will also assist countries implement, monitor and evaluate such plans by way of capacity building activities at the national and regional levels, particularly through distance learning programmes utilising existing video-conferencing and internet technologies. Encouraging effective donor coordination at national levels will be an important project activity. A fundamental principle of the project is flexibility, as countries will be able to determine their own needs within it. The development of an on-line resource centre will encourage sharing of best-practice and experience among the 15 Pacific member countries and will provide back-up for other areas of the project.

Implementation of the Project
The Project is being implemented by the Institute of Education at the University of the South Pacific. The European Commission has signed a Financing Agreement with the 15 Pacific countries where it will contribute Euro 8 million over 7 years (2004-2010) and NZAID has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with USP where it will contribute at least NZ$5 million over the life of the project.

The activities for the PRIDE Project are contained in the Financing Agreement signed between the EU and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (representing the 15 Pacific nations); the activities are summarised in  Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) for the project. The project is implemented through annual workplans. These workplans are developed by the PRIDE Team and approved by the Project Steering Committee (PSC). The PSC is comprised of Directors of Education of all 15 countries, representatives of USP, representatives of the donor organizations, representatives of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and NGOs (COPE, PCRC). Other donors and multi-lateral organizations with representatives in Suva are granted observer status (JICA, AUSAID, SPBEA, UNESCO, UK, ADB).

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