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.
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 |
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1,658 |
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965 |
Secondary |
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Tertiary |
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Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Secondary Education |
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71.2% |
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62.5% |
Female |
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Male |
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Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education1 |
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n/a |
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n/a |
Female |
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Male |
|
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Percentage of female teachers in 1 |
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54.8% |
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n/a |
Secondary (2018) |
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Tertiary |
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1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in March 2020 |
Literacy rate (2012)1 |
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n/a |
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n/a |
Adult (15+) literacy rate |
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Adult (15+) literacy rate |
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Economic Activity (2010)1 |
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n/a |
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n/a |
Adult (15+) economic activity |
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Adult (15+) economic activity |
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Political Decision Making (2014)1 |
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7% |
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Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament |
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|
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Life expectancy (2012)1 |
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70 |
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66 |
Female |
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Male |
|
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1. COL gender country profile April 2015 |
17.6 | 70.4 |
Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 | Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 |
|
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4 | 0 |
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 | Mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 |
|
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25 | 49.3 |
Households with a computer (%)1 | Individuals using the internet (%)1 |
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1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Eye Country profile, retrieved in March 2020 |
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.
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.
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.
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.