Kiribati

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Kiribati is a small state of the Commonwealth with a population of over 131,000 (World Bank, 2022) spread over islands and atolls covering an immense expanse of ocean.

COL plays an important role in supporting Kiribati’s education and training systems, particularly in the areas of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and data resilience through the Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) in the Pacific. Kiribati is also an active member of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) network and benefits from programmes offered through COL’s regional centre, the Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development (PACFOLD). In addition, learners from Kiribati participate in COL’s free open online courses and make use of a wide range of openly available learning resources and capacity-building initiatives.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
9.9%		8.3%
Female (2020)		Male (2020)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
89%		69.6%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
58.8%		48.2%
Female (2012)		Male (2012)

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

614 teachers from Kiribati trained to provide effective learner support in ODL contexts.
21 ministry officials trained on ODL policy.
TVET Project with Kiribati Teachers College.
Building technical resilience in response to natural disasters.
Development of online learning resources for teachers: ODL Course Catalogue, National OER Collection Site, and Online TVET Toolkit.
Agreement with the Ministry of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs for capacity building of youth.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

Literacy rate
n/a		n/a
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2019)¹
30.4%		44.8%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2020)¹
6.7%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
62.8		56.1
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

54	41
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

0.23	41
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Kiribati

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