Development assistance in the Pacific
Overview
This page gives an overview of Australia's work in the Pacific education sector, as informed by Australia's International Development Policy. It also outlines key related initiatives and summaries of programming and related documents.
Investing in education outcomes for all children and youth across the Pacific has been a long-standing objective of Australia's development program. In the Pacific, Australia's bilateral and multilateral investments have a strong focus on basic education, including early literacy and numeracy development. Other education and skills investments are aligned with Pacific labour market and mobility needs, through greater investment in upper secondary education, skills for employment and affordable quality university education. We are directly supporting the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) – the regional education policy agenda (2018-2030) which focuses on education quality, learning pathways, student outcomes and teachers. In support of Pacific countries' achievement of PacREF goals, we are actively backing Pacific-led, systemic reforms to improve education development outcomes.
A key focus for Australia's development program is supporting education and employment pathways for our shared region. Education and training are powerful drivers of economic growth, helping build strong communities, for a peaceful, resilient and prosperous Pacific. Australia invested $280.8 million in 2022-23 in education in the Pacific region.
The Pacific regional education portfolio comprises regional scholarships, investments in regional education institutions, technical support for national education systems, research grants and educational linkages between Australia and the Pacific.
The Australia Awards provide scholarships for students to undertake university study, research and professional development in Australia and the Pacific.
Related initiatives
- University of the South Pacific (USP)
- Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC)
- Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP)
- Pacific Research Program (PRP)
- Australia Awards
DFAT bilateral education programs support the implementation of Pacific island country national education plans in predominantly school and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sectors.
Related initiatives
- Fiji Education Program (FEP)
- PNG Partnerships for Improving Education (PIE)
- Solomon Islands Education Sector Support Program
- Vanuatu Education Support Program (VESP)
University of the South Pacific (USP) Partnership
$93 million, 2019 to 2025
Australia has been investing in the USP, the region's pre-eminent tertiary organisation, for five decades. USP is a key source of graduates to industry and government in the region, providing the critical workforce for economic development, particularly in areas of new technology and responding to challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, renewable energy, and oceans, which are important to Australia's interests.
Our current partnership is worth $86 million over six years from 2019 to 2025. The partnership provides flexible funding to support implementation of USP's Strategic Plan, including efforts to meet the tertiary education needs of the Pacific.
The partnership also supports the Pacific to implement the PacREF, with a focus on improving the quality of teacher education in the region.
Related links
Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC)
$251.2 million, 2018 to 2025
The Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) is Australia's largest skills investment in the Pacific and Timor-Leste. It is focused on supporting inclusive skills development and ensuring training meets the needs of Pacific employers. This is achieved through sustained and targeted delivery towards three strategic outcomes:
- Graduates have improved employment outcomes
- Co-investment in skills training increases
- Selected TVET partners demonstrate quality TVET provision.
APTC works in partnership with local and national TVET institutions across ten countries (Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, and Solomon Islands) to deliver skills training. APTC works in coalitions with these institutions and their governments, alongside development partners and other stakeholders to promote TVET systems strengthening at the national and regional level.
APTC delivers Australian qualifications at Certificate II, III, IV and Diploma levels in the Pacific as well as skill sets, short courses and microcredentials. Qualifications are prioritised and delivered in support of each country's skills needs across industry sectors including health and community, agriculture, automotive, manufacturing, construction and electrical, tourism and hospitality.
21,924 people have graduated with full Australian qualifications (2007-2024) with 42.5% of those graduates female. A majority of those have remained in the region. This does not include the tens of thousands who have benefited from short courses, microcredentials or qualifications delivered by APTC's partner national providers.
APTC graduates are supported to transition to employment to fill critical workforce shortages, earn an income and support regional productivity and growth. 86% of APTC graduates report being employed after training (from surveys conducted between 2018 and 2024). In 2024, Pacific employer satisfaction with APTC graduates was 97%, and 94% of Pacific employers were willing to employ another APTC graduate in the future.
A partnership between the Pacific Labour Facility and APTC helps meet Australia's workforce shortages, producing job-ready workers in meat processing and Australian-qualified graduates in aged care.
In 2020, DFAT commissioned a strategic review of APTC to ensure the program was positioned to support the Pacific's economic recovery from COVID-19 through skills development. You can find further information at the link below.
Related documents*
| Name of document | Year published | Type |
|---|---|---|
| APTC3 Strategic Review | 2021 | Review and management response |
| APTC3 Investment Design Document | 2017 | Design document |
| Independent Review | 2014 | Review |
Related links
Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP)
$47.13 million, 2017-2027
The Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) is the education division of the Pacific Community (SPC). Australia's partnership with EQAP supports 15 Pacific Island Countries’ efforts to strengthen their education systems, providing education services for regional and national education stakeholders to supplement systems and capabilities, where necessary. It administers the high-profile Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA) and the South Pacific Form Seven Certificate (SPFSC). It also supports qualifications recognition and quality assurance for technical vocational education and training in the Pacific. EQAP is also a key implementing partner and M&E lead in advancing regional education policy priorities outlined in the Pacific Education Regional Framework (PacREF).
Related documents*
| Name of document | Year published | Type |
|---|---|---|
| EQAP Investment Design update | 2023 | Design document |
| Mid Term Review of the Education Quality Assessment Program Business Plan 2019-2022 | 2021 | Mid term review |
| Pacific Register of Qualifications and Standards (PRQS): Strategic review report and management response | 2017 | Review and management response |
Related links
Pacific Research Program (PRP)
Phase 1 - $23.25 million, 2017 to 2022
Phase 1 of the Pacific Research Program (PRP I) undertook high-quality research to inform evidence-based policy-making and program design by the Government of Australia and its partner governments and organisations.
Phase 2 - $27.8 million, 2022 to 2026
Phase 2 (PRP II) builds on Phase 1 of the program to foster strong partnerships between Australian and Pacific universities, and teach and train the next generation of Pacific researchers. This second phase will take forward new and ongoing research in key priority areas of: gender, inclusion and social change; labour mobility and integration; politics, governance and economic resilience; Papua New Guinea (and Bougainville); and security, regionalism and geopolitics. Phase II of the PRP will be delivered by a consortium comprising the Australian National University’s (ANU) Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA), ANU Development Policy Centre (Devpol) and the Lowy Institute.
Related documents*
| Name of document | Year published | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Review of the Pacific Research Program and Management Response | 2022 | Review and management response |
| Pacific Research Program: Phase 2 Design Document | 2022 | Design document |
Related links
* The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is committed to high standards of transparency and accountability in the management of the Australian development program through publishing information on our website, including policies, plans, results, evaluations and research. Our practice is to publish documents after the partner government and any other partners directly involved in the delivery of the initiative have been consulted. Not all material published on this site is created by the Australian development program and therefore not all documents reflect our views. In limited circumstances some information may be withheld for reasons including privacy and commercial sensitivity.