By Dr Manos Antoninis, Director of the Global Education Monitoring Report and Professor Peter Scott, President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning
The Pacific is home to 45.5 million people spread across 30 million square kilometres, making it a unique geographic and cultural region, especially in terms of the application of technology in education. On the one hand, its geographic dispersion means that communication links are extremely important, but challenges due to natural disasters, costly infrastructure and linguistic diversity mean that the use of technology in the region requires great attention in terms of sustainability and relevance.
This message emerges from the new 2024 GEM Report on technology in education in the Pacific, developed in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and being launched in Samoa today during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2024).
The report covers 17 countries and territories – Australia, Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Tokelau and Vanuatu. Extensive background research by local research teams and independent experts informs the regional analysis, including contributions from Catalpa International and the Australian Council for Educational Research. It is structured around the four key policy areas of the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) (2018–2030): quality and relevance, learning pathways, student outcomes and well-being, and the teaching profession. It concludes with a series of recommendations, aligned to those of the 2023 GEM Report but adapted to the Pacific’s context. It is a unique tool for policymakers from the Pacific who are working to improve learning using technology.
Technology can overcome geographic dispersion, but access to infrastructure and devices needs to be improved first
Much attention has been paid to improving access to electricity in the region to bring technology’s benefits to the Pacific. New submarine cables and lower telecommunications costs have also seen a fast increase in internet access between 2003 and 2021, from seven to 88 per cent in Fiji and from three per cent to 71 per cent in Tonga, for instance.
Not all countries have moved at the same rate. Only around one-third of adults in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands and 40 per cent in the Federated States of Micronesia used the Internet in 2021. Natural disasters, such as those caused by cyclones and volcanic eruptions, have damaged infrastructure.
The schooling system needs to offer flexible learning strategies, for which technology can help, a fact that countries have long recognized. However, the short- and long-term costs of adapting to the use of digital technology are often not adequately estimated. In Papua New Guinea, a shift to tablets was impeded by high costs and eventually converted to a hybrid approach. The University of the South Pacific, meanwhile, started distributing tablets in 2013 with high student satisfaction, but 72 per cent still reported financial constraints related to maintenance and access to applications. The ongoing maintenance needs are also cited as a concern.
While access to digital technology has improved, major inequalities within and between countries persist in terms of those able to learn with technology. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the percentage of secondary schools in Pacific Island states that had computers for pedagogical purposes in 2019–23 ranged from a low of 32 per cent in the Marshall Islands to 100 per cent in the Cook Islands, Niue and Palau.
Many, therefore, continue to miss out on the potential of technology in education. As a result, 77 per cent of primary school teachers in 15 Pacific countries do not have devices to support their teaching. As natural disasters become more frequent in the region, the urgency behind making sure that distance learning projects and investments are scalable and sustainable is only becoming more acute.
Appropriate and inclusive technology choices are needed in the region
The PacREF emphasizes curricula and programmes that reflect Pacific values and traditional knowledge. It draws attention to appropriate, inclusive (in terms of culture, language and identity), rights-based, gender-equitable, flexible, innovative and adaptable pedagogy; and quality learning environments, which are also defined in terms of new technologies.
The new regional report emphasizes the importance of this point for the use of technology in education. The right level of technology, fitted to local needs (which does not need to be too advanced!) can have a positive impact on outcomes. A project in Papua New Guinea based on daily text messages improved primary school children’s learning, for instance.
This point is not always heard though. Many online resources remain only in English, for example, in this multilingual region. In addition, devices are sometimes provided without thought to contextualization. The One Laptop Per Child project was piloted in at least eight Pacific countries, for example, but was discontinued in most because the content was not contextualized, while electricity, Wi-Fi access and support were lacking. However, Vanuatu managed to build on the project to transition to a nationally owned and sustainable e-learning project.
Similarly, the Samoa SchoolNet initiative provided e-learning resources, equipment, and training but faced challenges with teacher adoption and sustainability. In Palau, Japan’s provision of tablets for mathematics education was hindered by insufficient classroom equipment.
For technology to be appropriate, teachers must know how to use it, a point also reflected in the PacREF. This has seen initiatives such as the Pacific Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning project to ensure teachers can deliver. The task at hand is large, however. In the Solomon Islands, teachers reported difficulties with charging laptops and other technical issues.
A relevant tool for policymakers who are working to improve learning using technology
By aligning the report to the four key policy areas of the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) the report aims to become a valuable tool for those working to improve learning in the Pacific using technology in education.
- Quality and relevance: Mobile technology has offered an affordable and flexible approach to learning, and social media has improved communication between institutions, parents and learners. However, technology must be designed to respect the needs of a diverse population.
- Learning pathways: Open and distance learning has historically expanded learning for geographically isolated students, especially in higher education and as a response to natural hazards. But, even if the Pacific is a champion, the promise of open education resources and of the internet as gateways to education content is frequently compromised.
- Student outcomes and well-being: Multiple efforts have been made to incorporate digital skills into curricula and into informal education. Yet regulations must address threats from the use of technology to privacy, safety and well-being.
- Teaching profession: Countries are leveraging technology to provide training opportunities and transform the teaching profession. However, training for teachers needs to be improved across the region and greater attention is needed to digital infrastructure in schools for technology to be effectively integrated into pedagogy.
As heads of state and leaders from the region gather in Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where the report is being launched, the findings of this report will inform the debate on how governments’ governance and regulation efforts can be supported to ensure equitable access to appropriate technology through scalable and sustainable solutions.
