Nauru has made progress in education, and now boasts almost 100 per cent enrolment and a full complement of skilled and qualified teachers. More than 90 per cent of teachers now hold a formal teaching qualification, up from only 40 per cent in 2009. Total enrolments in Nauru's schools have increased by more than 400 students each year since 2010 and truancy has declined by 20 per cent.
Funding from Australia to the Nauru Government supported this transformation; the result of a mix of education legislation reforms, a new curriculum, better teacher training and an $11 million upgrade to the Nauru Secondary School. The school upgrade, which included Nauru's first technical and vocational training facility, injected $1.5 million into the economy and provided much-needed immediate employment for 200 people. Enrolment at the school increased by 10 per cent the moment it was completed and in 2012 there are more than 170 students enrolled in the vocational training programs.