A Polynesian island nation with a population of just under 10,000, Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world. The literacy rate is high, so Tuvalu’s educational focus is on developing vocational skills.

 

 

School-age Population by Education Level1

1,658

 

965

Secondary

 

Tertiary

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Secondary Education
for the school year ending 20181

71.2%

 

62.5%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education1

n/a

 

n/a

Female

 

Male

 

 

Percentage of female teachers in 1

54.8%

 

n/a

Secondary (2018)

 

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

7%

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

 

 

Life expectancy (2012)1

70

 

66

Female

 

Male

 

 

1. COL gender country profile April 2015 

 

17.6 70.4
Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
4 0
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
25 49.3
Households with a computer (%)1 Individuals using the internet (%)1

 

 

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

 

Highlights

The Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL) work in Tuvalu is primarily in the areas of technical and vocational skills development and tertiary education, through the Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth.

Technical and Vocational Skills Development

The Technical and Vocational Skills Development (TVSD) initiative supports partners to harness technology so as to increase access to improved quality skills training. COL conducted an extensive study on the education development challenges and potential for flexible and open learning in Tuvalu for the Department of Education, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The report provides a baseline and identifies key areas in which COL should be best placed to support Tuvalu, through collaboration with the Ministry. COL is currently assisting with the development of a full TVSD programme for use in communities and schools. Four OER courses have been developed for the programme and are currently in use. Learn more about the Technical and Vocational Skills Development initiative.

Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth

Tuvalu is a member of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC). Initiated by and built on the support of Ministers of Education of developing small states of the Commonwealth, VUSSC supports the collaborative development and sharing of open educational resources (OER) to promote learning for sustainable development. 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 partners in Tuvalu with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.