Chair Of The Conference For Pacific Education Ministers

CPEM Ministerial Statement read out by NZ Education Minister, Hon Jan Tineti.

Acknowledge Ngati Whatua

Acknowledge Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni – Tonga

Acknowledge Pacific Ministers of Education

In 2001, Aotearoa New Zealand hosted the first meeting of education ministers, then known as the Forum Education Ministers Meeting; and in another first, we are hosting this inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers.

In the transition to a conference format we have been led by the recognition and importance of the contribution and leadership role of multiple stakeholders in education here in Aotearoa and across the Pacific.

On that note, I want to acknowledge the contribution and direction provided by our Pacific Ministers, and equally important, by the civil society representatives, representatives of peoples with disabilities, the student association representatives, and our development partners who have contributed to the Conference kaupapa.

Over the last two days, we have heard from diverse voices, sharing nuanced needs and solutions on how we – collectively – can Empower Education for all Pacific peoples

I want to now take you through some of the key decisions from this inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers:

We recognise the intrinsic value Pacific languages, culture and identity has on the well being of learners and its contribution to improved learning outcomes. We agreed that targeted resources were needed to prioritise and preserve Pacific languages and cultures.

We agreed to explore opportunities for better connection between teachers and students across the region, for mutually beneficial learning and development experiences. We agreed to explore and prioritise responsive and evidence based training programmes to best prepare our teachers and school leaders.

We agreed to prioritise inclusive curricula, and that means, embedding relevant issues like indigenous knowledge, climate change and resilience, that support the holistic development of the learner.

We recognised the need to elevate technical and vocational education and training pathways and skills development. And that’s also about changing the mindsets of communities, policy makers, and educationalists, around the responsive potential of TVET to students’ skill levels and learning aspirations.

We talked about the status of education in the Pacific, and the progress we are making as a Pacific region, in line with our regional education priorities.

From the advice we have received from those on the front line, our Pacific educationalists, civil society and development partners, I can say we’re working better than expected – but we also know more needs to be done

We need to do more to strengthen how we collate, analyse and disseminate education data to place at the centre of our efforts; strengthening data sovereignty, ownership and security.

We need to do more to increase investment in early childhood education, in particular, how we better embed the important role of families and communities in all stages of the child’s learning and development.

We recognised that the commitment to empowering education for Pacific peoples calls for higher level affirmation and support.

We have today as Pacific Ministers of Education, endorsed a declaration to Pacific Leaders outlining priorities we believe…..

This conference has been a significant opportunity for us to come together and discuss the strategic education issues that will help us keep moving forward, in a sustainable direction, as a regional whanau, representative of the whole of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.

I think our civil society colleagues summed this idea up in the traditional Samoan whakatauki “E fofo e le alamea, le alamea – the sting of the starfish is healed by the starfish itself”… reminding us that the solutions we seek already lie within the knowledge, experience and skills that we bring to the table.

No reira, nga mihi mauri ora.

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