The 2024 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report Pacific: Technology in Education – A tool on whose terms? was recently released during the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM 2024) in October and introduced soon after in Suva, Fiji, at a national event organised by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). A collaboration between COL and the UNESCO GEM Report Team, the report analyses the use of technology in education in a region where infrastructure represents a challenge for deploying digital technology in education.

The event was held in early November 2024, with representatives from the Government of Fiji, universities and civil society organisations participating in the discussions. The conversations focused mainly on the challenges of using technology in education in Fiji and identifying future policy directions. Professor Bibhya Sharma and Dr Shikha Raturi from the University of the South Pacific and Dr Pritika Reddy from the Fiji National University – the authors of the three background papers for the report – were the main speakers at the event.

Mr Isoa Tauribau, Deputy Secretary, Professional, Ministry of Education responded to the speakers by highlighting the fact that the government is serious about promoting the use of technology in education and would take note of the recommendations put forward by the report.

Dr Jyotsna Jha, Director: Skills, COL, who opened the event by welcoming all the speakers and participants, concluded the event by stating, “One of the most important points that emerged from the discussion underscores the need for adapting relevant technologies for the diverse challenges that exist on the ground while also being futuristic and recognising the full potentials of technology in promoting equity and quality in education.”