Vocational, adult and professional education research
Publication Date
2015
Abstract
This report provides a detailed analysis of the financing of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Tonga. The report forms part of the study Research into the Financing of TVET in the Pacific initiated through Australia’s aid program in 2012. The study aims to produce, in conjunction with host country governments and TVET stakeholders, a comprehensive empirical analysis of the existing systems for financing TVET in seven Pacific countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu), identify key financing issues within the region, and identify directions through which future financing for TVET could be made more efficient and effective at both national and regional levels. The main fieldwork for Tonga was conducted in late 2012 and included extensive first-hand collection of data from TVET providers and consultations with stakeholders. The work was guided and supported by a National Reference Group. The broad definition of TVET provided in the Research Brief for the purpose of the study was as follows: Post-secondary education and training programs designed to develop vocational skills. Degree and higher level programs, and subjects delivered as part of general education by secondary schools, are not included in this definition. The Tongan institutions identified as providing structured TVET programs were classified according to whether they are public (such as TIST, the Tonga Institute of Science and Technology; and TIHE, the Tonga Institute of Higher Education), mission or church (as as FWC, the Free Wesleyan Church and the Catholic Church), private or regional TVET providers (such as USP, the University of the South Pacific), other Government of Tonga (GoT) line Ministries and agencies that offer TVET-type programs, and employers in the stateowned enterprise and private sectors. The scope of the research also included quality assurance activities such as through the Tonga National Qualifications and Accreditation Board (TNQAB), and donor-supported programs such as TVET Sector Support Program Phase 1 (TSP1) funded by Australia and New Zealand. The data collections and consultations focused on these types of TVET providers, organisations and programs.
Recommended Citation
Bateman, A., Brown, J., & Uera, M. (2015). Research into the financing of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Pacific : Tonga : country report. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). https://research.acer.edu.au/transitions_misc/25
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
© Commonwealth of Australia 2015
Place of Publication
Camberwell, Vic.
Publisher
Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
ISBN
978-1-74286-276-7
Geographic Subject
Pacific region, Tonga
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Education Economics Commons, International and Comparative Education Commons
Comments
Project Director: Phillip McKenzie, ACER
Paperback ISBN [978-1-74286-276-7]
EPUB ISBN [978-1-74286-277-4]
This document is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/) licence.
The project Research into the Financing of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Pacific was managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and Scope Global on behalf of the Australian Government. The project was undertaken between 2012 and 2014 under contract to the Australian Government, initially through AusAID and then the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).