Nauru is a small state of the Commonwealth and the world’s smallest independent republic. It has a population of about 10,000 and covers just 21 square kilometres. Literacy rates are high and the University of the South Pacific (USP) has a campus on the island.

 

School-age Population by Education Level1

1,244

 

953

Secondary

 

Tertiary

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Secondary Education
for the school year ending 20161

83.6%

 

81.9%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education1

n/a

 

n/a

Female

 

Male

 

 

Percentage of female teachers in 1

50.0%

 

n/a

Secondary (2016)

 

Tertiary 

 

 

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in March 2020

 

Literacy rate (2012)1

n/a

 

n/a

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Female

 

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Male

 

 

Economic Activity (2010)1

n/a

 

n/a

Adult (15+) economic activity
Female

 

Adult (15+) economic activity
Male

 

 

Political Decision Making (2014)1

5%

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

 

 

Life expectancy (2012)1

83

 

75

Female

 

Male

 

 

1. COL gender country profile April 2015 

 

0 94.6
Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
9.5 37.8
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
18 57
Households with a computer (%)1 Individuals using the internet (%)1

 

 

1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Eye Country profile, retrieved in March 2020

 

Highlights

COL’s work in Nauru is primarily in the area of tertiary education, through the Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth, and in technical and vocational skills development.

Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development

  • COL and the University of the South Pacific work collaboratively in supporting the Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development (PACFOLD), a regional centre for capacity building in open and distance learning (ODL) in the Pacific. The centre’s priorities include: advocacy and capacity building for flexible and open learning for sustainable development; the development of regional and national policies on open, distance and flexible learning; and research on flexible and open learning.
  • The online community PACFOLD Learn was launched in early 2017.
  • Also in 2017, PACFOLD offered its online course on Flexible Skills Development, with participants from across the region.

Learn more about the Pacific Centre for Open and Flexible Learning for Development.

Technical and Vocational Skills Development

  • In 2017 in Suva, Fiji, COL welcomed participants from nine Pacific countries to a regional workshop on open educational resources (OER) course design for technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Designed to address the needs and priorities of the Pacific island states, twenty-six TVET educators from 12 partner institutions attended, including two from Nauru Secondary School, Department of Education: Ruka Reweru and Floria Detabene.
  • COL assisted USP in developing a policy for OER through a workshop organised at the university. The workshop was attended by 28 staff members from various faculties and disciplines.
  • As a follow-up to the OER policy developed in 2017, COL supported a three-day workshop at USP on OER Integration in Courses. USP is offering funding to 30 teachers to develop OER-based courses.

Learn more about the Technical and Vocational Skills Development initiative.

Technology-Enabled Learning

Learn more about the Technology-Enabled Learning initiative.

Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth

  • Nauru continues to be a member of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC). The VUSSC partnership represents 30 small states of the Commonwealth dedicated to expanding access to tertiary education.

Learn more about the VUSSC initiative.

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’s partners in Nauru include:

  • Department of Education
  • University of the South Pacific