Education in Kiribati

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Education in Kiribati is free and compulsory from age 6 to 14, which includes primary school through grade six, and Junior Secondary School for three additional grade levels. [1] In 1998, the gross primary enrollment rate was 84.4 percent, and net primary enrollment rate was 70.7 percent. [1] School quality and access to education are better in urban areas; schools in small communities on isolated islands are expensive to maintain. [1] Mission schools are slowly being absorbed into the government primary school system.

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There are primary schools on most of the inhabited islands. Secondary schools are located on some of the islands with students travelling to live at their school. For example, Abaiang, which is in the northern Gilbert Islands, [2] has three secondary schools, in 2011 there were 212 students at the Ministry of Education school, Ueen Abaiang, which is located between the villages of Koinawa and Aonobuaka. A further 135 students are enrolled at St Joseph's College in Tabwiroa and 23 students at Steven Whitmee High School in Morikao, making 370 secondary school students in total. [2] The two high schools at Morikao and Tabuiroa accommodate students from all over Kiribati who have passed the entrance examinations to get into the schools. [2]

St. Joseph's College was founded in 1939. Its alumni include both current President Anote Tong, and previous incumbent Teburoro Tito.

There are primary schools and secondary schools operated by the Christian denominations including the Roman Catholic Church (such as St. Joseph's College) and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (such as Moroni High School in South Tarawa, of which Waitea Abiuta has been the headmaster).

The Kiribati Teacher College and King George V and Elaine Bernacchi School, the Government High School, are in Bikenibeu in South Tarawa. [3]

Higher education is expanding; students may seek technical, teacher or marine training, or study in other countries. To date, most choosing to do the latter have gone to Fiji to attend University of the South Pacific, and those wishing to complete medical training have been sent to Cuba. [4]

The University of the South Pacific has a campus in Kiribati for distant/flexible learning, but also to provide preparatory studies towards obtaining certificates, diplomas and degrees at other campus sites.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) [5] finds that Kiribati is fulfilling only 90.6% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income. [6] HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration Kiribati's income level, the nation is achieving 94.4% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education but only 86.8% for secondary education. [7]


Schools

Kiribati Ministry of Education is the education ministry. Kiribati has 94 elementary schools, 24 junior high schools, and 16 senior high schools. The government high schools are King George V and Elaine Bernacchi School, Tabiteuea North Senior Secondary School, and Melaengi Tabai Secondary School; [8] Tabiteuea North, in Eita, is also known as Teabike College. [9] Previously KGV/EBS was the sole government high school. [10]

13 high schools are operated by Christian churches. [8] They are: [9]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abaiang</span> Atoll of Kiribati

Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the past, Charlotte Island, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is a coral atoll of Kiribati, located in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Abaiang was the island of the first missionary to arrive in the Gilberts, Hiram Bingham II. Abaiang has a population of 5,872.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabiteuea</span> Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati

Tabiteuea is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, farther south of Tarawa. This atoll is the bigger and the most populated of the Gilbert Islands but Tarawa. The atoll consists of one main island, Aanikai in the north, and several smaller islets in between along the eastern rim of the atoll. The atoll has a total land area of 38 km2 (15 sq mi), while the lagoon measures 365 km2 (141 sq mi). The population numbered 5,261 in 2015. The islanders have customary fishing practices related to the lagoon and the open ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bairiki</span> Town in Gilbert Islands, Kiribati

Bairiki is a settlement in South Tarawa of Kiribati. The State House, the National Stadium, the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand as well as the embassy of China, and most of the Government Ministries are based in Bairiki. Bairiki is administered by the Teinainano Urban Council or TUC. As at the 2010 Census the population of Bairiki was 3,524.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Tarawa</span> Island of the Republic of Kiribati

South Tarawa is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki and Tanaea in the north-east, connected by the South Tarawa main road, with a population of 63,439 as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abemama</span> Atoll of Kiribati

Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located 152 kilometres southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of 27.37 square kilometres and a population of 3,299 as of 2015. The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part of the atoll of Abemama is linked together by causeways making automobile traffic possible between the different islets. The outlying islands of Abatiku and Biike are situated on the southwestern side of the atoll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beru (atoll)</span>

Beru is an atoll in the Southern Gilbert Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Republic of Kiribati. Beru was previously known as Eliza, Francis Island, Maria, Peroat, Peru Island or Sunday. It's part of a larger reef with the Nuka Lagoon at its center, and the nearest island is Nikunau. The Tabiang Lagoon is present in the north. Beru is home to 2,051 inhabitants. Due to sea surges, the atoll is experiencing coastal erosion along with damages to seawalls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikunau</span>

Nikunau is a low coral atoll in the Gilbert Islands that forms a council district of the Republic of Kiribati. It consists of two parts, with the larger in the northwest, joined by an isthmus about 150 metres (490 ft) wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonouti</span>

Nonouti is an atoll and district of Kiribati. The atoll is located in the Southern Gilbert Islands, 38 km north of Tabiteuea, and 250 km south of Tarawa. The atoll is the third largest in the Gilbert Islands and is the island where the Roman Catholic religion was first established in Kiribati, in 1888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikenibeu</span> Place in Gilbert Islands, Kiribati

Bikenibeu is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located close to the southeastern corner of the Tarawa atoll, part of the island country of Kiribati. It is part of a nearly continuous chain of settlements along the islands of South Tarawa, which are now linked by causeways. The low-lying atoll is vulnerable to sea level rise. Rapid population growth has caused some environmental problems. Kiribati's main government high school, King George V and Elaine Bernachi School, is located in Bikenibeu, as well as the Ministries of Environment and Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in the Comoros</span> Overview of education in the Comoros

Practically all children attend Quranic school for two or three years, starting around age five; there they learn the rudiments of the Islamic faith and some classical Arabic. When rural children attend these schools, they sometimes move away from home and help the teacher work his land.

According to 2020 government statistics, Christian groups form about 96% of the Kiribati population by census counts, most of whom are either Catholic or members of the new Kiribati Uniting Church and Kiribati Protestant Church. Persons with no religious affiliation account for about 0.03% of the population. Members of the Catholic Church are concentrated in the northern islands, while Protestants are the majority in the southern islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Saint Lucia</span> Education sector of St Lucia

Education in St. Lucia is primarily based on the British education system and is provided in public and private schools.

Primary school education in Fiji is compulsory, and subsidised for eight years. In 1998, the gross primary enrollment ratio was 110.5 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 99.4 percent. As of 2001, attendance was decreasing due to security concerns and the burden of school fees, often due to the cost of transport. In 2013, the Bainimarama government made education at the primary and secondary level in Fiji free for all students. Fiji has since achieved universal access to primary education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Tarawa</span> A string of islets in Kiribati governed by the Eutan Tarawa Council

North Tarawa or in Gilbertese Tarawa Ieta, in the Republic of Kiribati, is the string of islets from Buariki at the northern tip of Tarawa atoll to Buota in the South, with a combined population of 6,629 as of 2015. It is administratively separate from neighbouring South Tarawa, and is governed by the Eutan Tarawa Council (ETC), based at Abaokoro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Nauru</span>

Education in Nauru is compulsory for children between the ages of 5 and 16. There are eleven schools in Nauru, including three primary schools and two secondary schools. There is an Able/Disable Centre for children with special needs. Education at these schools is free. In 2011, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported that 3,026 children were enrolled at Nauru's schools. The Minister for Education is the Hon. Charmaine Scotty, MP from 2013.

King George V and Elaine Bernacchi School (KGV/EBS) is a government senior high school of Kiribati, located in Bikenibeu, South Tarawa. As of 1993 it has almost 600 students. In 1993 it had a competitive admissions process as there was not enough space for every high school student in Kiribati; the remainder had to enroll in Christian high schools. Since then the Kiribati government had established two additional government high schools.

Stephen Whitmee High School is a senior high school in Morikao, Abaiang Island, Kiribati. It is affiliated with the Kiribati Uniting Church.

King George V School (KGV) was a government high school for boys in the Gilbert Islands, within the British colony Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Throughout its history it was in multiple locations in South Tarawa and Abemama. It served as a boarding school, and trained people to be government workers and teachers.

Hiram Bingham High School (HBHS) is a secondary school in Rongorongo, Beru Island, Kiribati, serving forms 1-7. It is affiliated with the Kiribati Uniting Church. It has boarding facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kiribati</span>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kiribati refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Kiribati. In 1976 the first branch was organized in Tarawa. As at the 2020 Census, there were 6,720 people declaring as LDS members. According to LDS church, as of year-end 2021, there were 21,853 members in 42 congregations, making it the largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia. Kiribati also has the most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia, and the third most members per capita of any country in the world, behind Tonga and Samoa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kiribati" Archived 2008-04-23 at the Wayback Machine . 2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor (2002). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. 1 2 3 "4. Abaiang" (PDF). Office of Te Beretitent - Republic of Kiribati Island Report Series. 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "6. South Tarawa" (PDF). Office of Te Beretitent - Republic of Kiribati Island Report Series. 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Pacific Magazine: I-Kiribati Students Perform Well In Cuba, Pacific Islands Broadcasting Association, 24 December 2007.
  5. ↑ "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  6. ↑ "Kiribati - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  7. ↑ "Kiribati - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  8. 1 2 "VSA Assignment Description Assignment title English Language Trainer (of Trainers/ Teachers) Country Kiribati Archived 2018-07-06 at the Wayback Machine ." Volunteer Service Abroad (Te Tūao Tāwāhi). Retrieved on 6 July 2018. p. 6-7.
  9. 1 2 "TABITEUEA NORTH 2008 Socio-Economic Profile" Part 2 of 4. Strengthening Decentralized Governance in Kiribati Project , Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (Kiribati). p. 48 (PDF p. 13/15). Part 1 is here.
  10. ↑ Talu, Alaima. "Towards Quality in Education" (Chapter 21, in Part IV: Social Issues). In: Van Trease, Howard (editor). Atoll Politics: The Republic of Kiribati. University of Canterbury MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies and University of the South Pacific Institute of Pacific Studies, 1993. ISBN   095833000X, 9780958330008. p. 242

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