2025 CONFERENCE OF
PACIFIC EDUCATION MINISTERS
MARCH 18-20, 2025
The Bird of Paradise is the national symbol
of the host country – Papua New Guinea.
Joining forces as one for a transformative Pacific...
Hai Gutpela long bungim yu
From March 18-20, 2025, Education Ministers from the Pacific region will meet in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea for the second Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) to discuss some of the Pacific’s most pressing education challenges.
The theme Transforming Edukesen for a Better Pacific reflects the importance of the region needing to shift its focus and adopt innovative approaches, particularly in embracing global educational changes.
This revolution will enhance the growth and improvement to build a more effective, equitable and sustainable education system.
This shift can take place at multiple levels, from individual classrooms to entire educational frameworks.
The reframing of the Ministerial forum from the Forum Education Ministers Meeting (FEdMM) to the CPEM reflects the transition of the hosting of the meeting from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) to the University of the South Pacific (USP) where the Pacific Regional Education Framework Facilitation Unit (PacREF PFU) is hosted.
CPEM also reflects a more active and formal engagement with civil society organisations (CSOs) who are important stakeholders in education development in the Pacific.
Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, as well as Australia and New Zealand will participate in the three-day tok tok.
This high-level conference will bring together Education Ministers from the Pacific, senior government officials, educators, development partners, civil society organisations, and policymakers to address key education priorities within the Pacific toward the goals of the Pacific Regional Education Framework and 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
The CPEM will be held face-to-face, with Ministers of Education invited to take part in the physical meeting.
Ministers during the conference will be provided with the opportunity to share knowledge and good practices, identify areas of action and explore innovative approaches that member countries can adapt to develop education systems that deliver educational programmes that empower the people of the Pacific to make their own decisions in regard to their future
The PNG Government will host the 2025 CPEM through the Ministry for Education in partnership with the PacREF PFU.
The USP will co-host it.
The maiden CPEM was held from March 20-23, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand and was established to share strategies and discuss key issues such as education financing, quality, and building resilience, inclusion and equity.
Tenkyu tumas
Lukim yu
The PacREF is a 12-year-programme approved by education leaders in the Pacific through a multi-coordinated approach including implementing agencies (IAs) and development partners (DPs) to improve educational outcomes through innovative, inclusive, and sustainable approaches across the region.
The PacREF Facilitation Unit (PFU) is hosted by The University of the South Pacific (USP) who is responsible for coordinating its implementation.
As the PacREF progresses, the focus is to contextualise 16 Regional Goods (RGs) into Pacific individual countries’ education systems in line with the commitment to implement the Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) outcomes.
The PacREF’s 18 member countries share a common goal and includes Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu along with Australia and New Zealand
The PacREF is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the New Zealand Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) provides funding through its core funding to USP and the Pacific Community’s Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (SPC-EQAP).
| RGS | |
| 1 | Strategies to integrate Pacific cultures, languages, and life skills, enhancing countries’ teaching and learning quality |
| 2 | Regional knowledge and frameworks to support the review and development of Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum, pedagogy, assessments and resources to ensure they are culturally grounded, learner-centered and inclusive |
| 3 | Regional Quality Framework for ECE to help countries use quality definitions and standards to improve ECE delivery |
| 4 | The Pacific ECE System Review and Planning Tool is a resource that countries can utilize to comprehensively plan and enhance their ECE systems, ensuring the provision of equitable, high-quality, and relevant education |
| 5 | A Regional Framework for learning pathways from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to adulthood, enabling countries to ensure quality education and support for all learners |
| 6 | Regional research, evidence, partnerships, and guidance for teachers and policymakers to help countries develop and implement inclusive education policies and strategies |
| 7 | Regional knowledge and frameworks for family-learner-school partnerships to enable countries to engage all stakeholders in supporting learning at every level |
| 8 | Regional TVET policy development and an intervention bridging program to strengthen multiple learning pathways, ensuring all young people have access to relevant vocational education opportunities and higher learning |
| 9 | The Regional Waka Moana Learning Hub will offer online resources for teaching, learning, and professional development. This initiative aims to enhance access to relevant literacy and numeracy materials across countries, improving educational outcomes |
| 10 | The Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment will evaluate the literacy proficiency of primary students, providing countries with valid and reliable data. This evidence will support the development of targeted strategies and interventions to enhance student learning outcomes |
| 11 | Regional training, practice sharing, strategies, and tools will be provided to enhance education data management, policy, and planning processes. This support will enable countries to develop and implement robust, evidence-based educational policies and plans |
| 12 | The Pacific Assessment for lower secondary will evaluate students’ essential knowledge and skills, providing countries with valid and reliable evidence. This data will inform strategies and interventions aimed at improving transitions and learning outcomes in secondary schools |
| 13 | Regional evidence and tools will assist countries in crafting localised approaches to child protection and wellbeing within schools |
| 14 | These country-led initiatives will focus on teaching effectiveness to support, engage, and cultivate a skilled teaching workforce dedicated to the holistic development of students |
| 15 | The Regional Framework will ensure quality in Pacific teacher education programs through rigorous training and ongoing professional development. This framework will support the accreditation and recognition of teaching qualifications, promoting continuous improvement |
| 16 | The Pacific Regional School Leadership Standards will guide improvements for school leaders, enabling countries to foster effective leadership across Pacific schools. |
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – October 17, 2024 – Papua New Guinea has made history by becoming the first Pacific Island nation to host the 2025 Conference of Pacific Education Ministers Meeting (CPEM).
To be held from March 18-20, 2025 in Port Moresby, CPEM 2025 will gather Education Ministers from 18 countries which include Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand.
