Kiribati Education Improvement Program
Improving education outcomes for children
Challenge
The Kiribati Education Improvement Program (KEIP) supported the Kiribati Ministry of Education to enact education reforms of and increases children’s access to quality basic education.
Approach
The program improved learning outcomes for basic education for i-Kiribati children in school years 1 to 9, including children with a disability.
Improving education outcomes encompassed providing better learning environments; improving access to schools; building a curriculum that supports student engagement and self-development; improving teaching quality; and supporting better retention in school for both boys and girls. KEIP also supported Kiribati’s Ministry of Education to effectively plan, resource, and manage priority sector activities. KEIP adapted its support as required to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goals and Results
Program highlights included:
- Reviewed the Junior Secondary School curriculum, and implementation of recommendations to improve education delivery in years 7 – 9.
- Supported school rehabilitation on selected outer islands, including classrooms, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, water storage, and solar power.
- Provided school furniture to school students in the Gilbert outer island schools.
- Built the capacity of new and emerging school leaders.
- Worked with local storytellers and artists to develop a collection of original children’s books in te-Kiribati, as well as a new English-Kiribati dictionary.
- Supported the Ministry of Education to establish two new model disability-inclusion schools.
- Supported the reduction of gender-based bullying in schools and reducing negative gender stereotyping in the curriculum and school materials.
- Supported the Kiribati Teachers College to progress towards its goal of achieving external accreditation, providing pathways for teachers to undertake an Advanced Diploma of Teaching in Kiribati.