Social Statistics - Education
Head Office
Schools
Scholarship Scheme
School Enrolment
Educational Attainment
Tialeniu - Matauala - Matiti
The Education Department Head Office is located in Atafu, which is where the Minister of Education resides. All educational enquiries or required information must be forwarded to this office.
There are only three schools in Tokelau. One school on each island begins from pre-school to Form 4. Tialeniu on Fakaofo, Matauala on Atafu and Matiti on Nukunonu are all government schools. Tokelau has only one Form 5 which is known as the National Form 5. This national class is rotated among the island in a five years basis. Year 2003 will marked the completion the first round. As proposed by the Department of Education, each school will have their own Form 5 by the year 2004.
The schools are manned by trained local teachers, teacher aides and one volunteer teacher in each school from New Zealand. Most teachers are qualified teachers from the Western Samoa Teachers College as was known before and few from New Zealand.
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Before 1987, that was before the national Form 5 was established, students qualified for government scholarships were selected from Form 4 and lower classes. From 1987 until now (2003) qualified students are selected from Form 5 only. These students are allocated to various colleges in Samoa, Niue and Tonga. At the present time, Samoa is the only Pacific island where these scholarship students are taken to for further education.
In Samoa, they have to sit for their Form 5 School Certificate which will determine who is eligible to further their education in New Zealand. The rest will continue their studies in Samoa. Students are expected to have good progress with their studies. Those with very little or no progress at all will be suspended or terminated from the scheme. While at the same time taking in private student whom regarded as successful in their studies.
The Tokelau Scholarship scheme can sponsor a student from college until he/she secured a university degree. That is an average number of 7-8 years of sponsorship.
Student are expected to return back to serve the country but not compulsory as there are not enough jobs back in Tokelau to await their return. Therefore, qualified students can or should return when they feel obligated or when the government ask them to return. However, about 95 per cent of scholarship students return back to Tokelau straight after their studies are completed.
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School attendance is compulsory in Tokelau from age 5 - 15 (Form 4). Before that age, most if not all children attend pre-school or kindergarten, and Sunday school.
Three government schools in Tokelau offer classes until Form 4 - one on each atoll - and all children aged 5 - 15 years of age attend school with very few exceptions. There is only one Form 5 which is a national form 5 on a rotational basis. At the time it is now on Fakaofo. Form 4 students in Tokelau are given equal opportunity to attend this national Form 5. 83% of the 16 years old and 58% of the 17years old were still attending school.
For more information, please click here for enrolment details.
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There has been a clear improvement in the level of educational attainment in recent years. The younger the population, the higher the highest school level achieved.
Proportion of population 15 years and older and highest qualification gained, Tokelau 1996.
| Qualifications | Males | Females | Total |
| No certificate | 59.3 | 66.4 | 63.0 |
| Primary or Form 2 | 12.9 | 10.9 | 11.9 |
| Leaving certificate | 10.0 | 5.6 | 7.7 |
| School certificate | 7.4 | 10.0 | 8.8 |
| University entrance | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 |
| Diploma | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| Degree | 2.4 | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| Post-Graduate diploma | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Post-Graduate Degree | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| NS | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
(Table Source: 1996 Census)
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