The Pacific Community (SPC), alongside education ministers from the region, proudly unveiled the Status of Pacific Education Report 2024 (SOPER24) at the Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM), held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
SOPER24 provides an in-depth analysis of the region's educational landscape, tracking progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on quality education.
As the third edition of SPC’s biennial series, the report provides internationally comparable education statistics and key insights needed to drive meaningful changes. Developed by SPC’s Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the report is a vital tool for policymakers and educators across the Pacific.
The report identifies 2023 as the “midway mark” for implementing commitments under the Education 2030 Agenda. It highlights the significant progress Pacific Island countries (PICs) have made since 2016 in strengthening resilience and enhancing national education systems.
Seci Waqabaca, Deputy Director of EQAP, explained, “Quality and current data are critical for effective policy decisions. With information entailed in the SOPER24, Pacific Island countries are better positioned to implement strategies that directly impact students and teachers alike”.
The report emphasises the importance of robust data systems in shaping effective educational policies. Through the EQAP-UIS partnership, Pacific Island countries have enhanced their capacity to collect and utilise high-quality education data, fostering informed decision-making at all levels.
As Pacific nations strive towards the objectives outlined in the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) 2018–2030, SOPER24 offers a comprehensive overview of progress, challenges, and opportunities, guiding future strategies to enhance education across the region.
Since 2019, the EQAP-UIS partnership has been funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). This funding agreement has supported the progress of the partnership’s activities around the UIS questionnaire completion and submission and the production of the 2020, 2022 and 2024 Status of Pacific Education Reports.
Jan Hutton, Australia’s Head of Delegation to the Conference of Pacific Education Ministers, highlighted, "The publication of this report is a critical input to regional education discussions, including here at CPEM in Port Moresby this week. Good data is the foundation of education policy making, and Australia is proud to support SPC EQAP, including in the implementation of critical Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessments. PILNA assessments inform this report and enable Pacific countries to report against the global Sustainable Development Goals.”
SOPER2024 is part of a series that serves as a guiding resource offering evidence–based information to shape policies, address emerging issues and challenges that are common to most, if not all, Pacific countries and drive future education strategies.
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