Tonga

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The Kingdom of Tonga, a small state of the Commonwealth consists of some 170 islands with a population of about 107,000 (World Bank, 2022).

COL plays an important role in supporting Tonga’s education and training systems, particularly in the areas of Open Schooling and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and data resilience through the Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) in the Pacific. Tonga 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 Tonga 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
16.7%		16.1%
Female (2018)		Male (2018)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
89.6%		80.9%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
26.7%		10.8%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
58.4%		59%
Female (2015)		Male (2015)

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

Highlights

160 teachers from Tonga trained to provide effective learner support in ODFL contexts.
730+ youths trained in entrepreneurship, digital literacy, and database management in partnership with Tonga Women in ICT.
Development of online learning resources for teachers: ODL Course Catalogue, National OER Collection Site, and Online TVET Toolkit.
Establishment of Tu’uloa Open School (TOS), opening access to learning opportunities.
Approval of Tonga National University’s ODFL policy to expand access education.

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.

COL’s partners in Tonga include:

Ministry of Education and Training
Montfort Technical Institute
Tonga National University
Tonga Women in ICT
USP Tonga Campus

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Dr Raelyn Esau
Dean, Faculty of Business & Public Administration
Tonga National University (TNU)
Ministry of Education and Training

Literacy rate (2021)¹
99.5%		99.4%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2021)¹
54.7%		57.4%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2021)¹
7.1%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
75.6		69.8
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

72	61
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

6.4	61
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




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

Tonga

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Notable Mention

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