The Institute of Education (IoE) is a self-funding institute operating under the School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE) at The University of the South Pacific (USP). The Institute consists of 4 Units, the: (1) Research Development Unit; (2) Professional Development & Learning Unit; (3) Waka Publications Unit; and the (4) Corporate Unit. IoE’s head office is based in Ha’ateiho, Tonga with IoE offices in Honiara, Solomon Islands and Suva, Fiji.

IoE’s purpose remains to become the regional hub of excellence in Pacific education research, with the expertise and resources to develop capacity in the region to achieve and sustain quality education at all levels. As a self-funding institute, the IoE does not primarily receive funding from USP but is fully dependent on its own capacity to generate income to cover its investment in future projects, Pay Expenses, Non-Pay Expenses, as well as USP Recurrent Overheads and the USP Royalty Levy.

Mandate

The Institute of Education’s mandated areas of focus include: professional development delivery; publishing teaching and learning materials for Pacific schools; providing policy advice; conducting applied research; and providing technical consultancies. This mandate stands today and the IoE fulfils it through its three core Programmes: Research and Development Programme; Professional Development and Learning Programme; and the Waka Publications Programme.

Vision & Mission

The IoE’s vision and mission are derived from the University’s charter and its service to the member nations of the USP.

• Vision: To be Oceania’s Institute for Educational Development
• Mission: To serve and strengthen Education in Oceania

Core Values

All IoE’s operations are underpinned by four core values: maintaining strong relationships, integrity, humility, and innovation.

• Maintaining strong relationships: Guiding our engagement with national ministries, departments of education, national teacher education institutes and local communities.
• Integrity: Ensuring that our work is based on valid data, sound advice, and honest reporting.
• Humility: Ensuring that in our performance we are continuously learning from others, and that we value the trust given to us by Pacific communities, honour Pacific knowledge, context and aspirations.
• Innovation: Striving for authentic, inspirational, and sustainable solutions based on Pacific realities

Strategic Direction

Kalia (upgrade, expand and partner):

• Strengthen the core by building up capacity and capability of corporate staff and up-skilling core academic staff
• Strengthen second layer: NOPE II
• Strengthen third layer: strategic & purposeful partnerships

Solwara (sail towards depth and quality):

• Depth – context specific, targeted interventions at multiple levels – school, community & systems level
• Quality – connected to wider systems improvement, measurable shifts in performance, sustained shifts

Lan (expand the vision of the research base):

• Co-Design based research approach
• Oceanic research frameworks; tools & ethical protocols

Laea (maintaining through monitoring and evaluation):

• Monitoring (Malie) – that is relevant & holistic
• Evaluation (Mafana) – that is transformational

Enua (national & regional impact):

• National impact – honor the land, honor the people
• Regional impact – further the cause of Oceania