Technology
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
1. Terminology
ICT is not defined in any law or policy. However, ICT is used in the Tuvalu Education Sector Plan III (TESP III), Tuvalu’s National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2016 to 2020, Te Kakeega III 2016 to 2020, and the Talaaliki Plan. Examples of ICT are provided in the Tuvalu National Curriculum Policy Framework (2013). These include “mobile phones, tablets, telephones, iPods, laptops, computers etc.”
The terms e-learning and Open Educational Resources (OER) can be found in the 2021-2030 National Strategy for Sustainable Development, Te Kakeega III 2016 to 2020, the Tuvalu Education Sector Plan III (TESP III), and the Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLeP). They are not defined.
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
Constitution and laws: The 2008 Constitution of Tuvalu and the 2008 Education Act do not mention Education Technology. The 2016 to 2020 National Strategy for Sustainable Development (Te Kakeega III) recommends for amendments to the Education Act to incorporate ICT in education; however, changes have yet to be made.
Policies, plans and strategies: Information Communications Technology is its own cross-cutting theme in the Tuvalu National Curriculum Policy Framework (2013). The framework notes the importance of ICT use in the whole education system to manage the system effectively, enable changes in classroom pedagogies and practices, and develop necessary skills in students to become effective members of the increasingly ICT-rich society. ICT is expected to help the education system achieve sustainability through its seamless integration into the system.
The 2016-20 Tuvalu Education Sector Plan III (TESP III) puts a focus on ICT in education. Outputs and performance indicators for learning include improving ICT in schools to support student learning as well as improving learning materials that utilize ICT. For teaching, TESP III aims to increase teacher effectiveness and ICT use in classrooms through improved ICT literacy training and providing more ICT training opportunities. TESP III states that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) arm of the Department of Education is housed in the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit. Their responsibilities thus include supporting teaching and learning through ICT in education. TESP III also sought to develop Tuvalu’s e-Learning system processes and procedures as well as establish a National Virtual School and Multimedia Learning Resource Development studio.
“Te Kete,” the new Tuvalu 2021-2030 National Strategy for Sustainable Development’s first national outcome is to harness digital transformation to improve lives. This includes key strategic action points such as ensuring accessibility to affordable and reliable telecommunication services; developing and fostering e-learning activities; developing a safe digital environment using cyber security; and the creating of a legal, regulatory and standards framework to guide the investment and use of digital technologies.
The previous National Strategy for Sustainable Development, Te Kakeega III (2016 to 2020), included a section titled "The Development and Implementation of ICT in Education Strategy and Policy”. This includes milestone goals such as the development of the ICT in Education Strategy and Policy; the development and implementation of an e-learning system; and improving access to ICT resources.
Tuvalu is a part of several Pacific Island regional organizations that have published frameworks and action plans for ICT in the region. The Framework for Action on ICT for Development in the Pacific (FAIDP), published in 2010 was replaced by the Pacific Regional ICT Strategic Action Plan (PRISAP) in 2016. Both serve as guiding principles for the individual counties. FAIDP helped individual countries develop their own national ICT policies as one of its key goals. The current PRISAP included more targets such as helping to identify guiding principles, regional responsibilities, and action themes in order to highlight target indicators critical to ICT development in the region.
The two most recent regional frameworks on education include the 2009-2015 Pacific Education Development Framework (PEDF) and the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) 2018 - 2030. PEDF identified ICT as a priority area for education and training and focused on access and resourcing of ICT technologies and infrastructure. It also led to the creation of the Pacific Regional Digital Strategy. PacREF includes more specific strategies for ICT implementation in education to “create effective and efficient new ways of learning” and improve the learning environment. The framework recommends using ICT as an access tool to education to help with inclusive learning and differentiated pathways.
The Pacific Island Regional Association for Distance Education (PIRADE) published a report in 2000 titled Appropriate telecommunication and learning technology for distance education in the South Pacific which detailed Tuvalu’s distance education strategies during that time. More recently, the Commonwealth of Learning conducted a country report on Tuvalu’s education system in 2016 which noted the need for e-learning/ICT in education policy and commits to providing technical assistance for this.
As Tuvalu is an island nation with communities separated by the sea, technology and ICT are pressing issues for the government. According to the Tuvalu Department of Foreign Affairs, a national ICT policy is in the process of being developed with the hope of making Tuvalu “a global player in the ICT industry”. Work on the policy was initiated in 2003 and has recently regained progress with help from international actors such as the World Bank through the Tuvalu Telecommunications and ICT Development Project. The policy will be aligned with the concept of innovation (kiloga fou) and harmonized with the other Pacific states. ICT in Education is expected to be included in the national ICT policy and a separate ICT in Education policy will be drafted afterwards.
Digital competency frameworks: Information was not found.
Changes occurred as a result of COVID-19: The Talaaliki Plan was developed in April 2020 directly as a response to COVID-19. An Education Contingency Plan is included within the Talaaliki Plan and gives details on Operation Continued Learning (OCL).
The 2021 Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLeP), which is funded with support from the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) Education Department includes a sub-component that provides educational technology innovations to support teachers and students. This includes activities and goals such as: aligning e-learning resources and library to the curriculum and context; teacher training; and resourcing ICT Centers for Schools. At the student level, the plan includes digital literacy education, computer classes, and digitized gamification of literacy concepts and phonics for emergent readers.
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.2.1. Technology infrastructure and digital capacity of schools
Electricity: Electricity in Tuvalu is provided by the Tuvalu Electricity Corporation (TEC), a corporatized state-owned government agency. The corporation acts for and on behalf of the government and has the sole and exclusive right to supply electricity in the country. Presently, all of the islands have 24/7 access to electricity.
The 2009 Tuvalu National Energy Policy was the first to define and direct energy developments and usages throughout the country. The Palani mo Enetise Tutumau (Renewable Energy Master Plan) 2012-2020 sought to have 100% of all electricity on the islands generated from renewable energy. The goal to have all renewable energy has now been moved to 2025.
Computers and devices: Tuvalu was a participant in the OLPC Oceania project in 2010. OLPC Oceania linked with the objectives of the Pacific Plan Digital Strategy (PPDS) of 2005. Several Pacific Island Countries participated. Little information can be found on its implementation in Tuvalu.
The 2016-20 Tuvalu Education Sector Plan III (TESP III) states that to strengthen ICT to support student learning, ICT labs are to be set up in all schools and ICT services improved. Schools must also be resourced with relevant ICT equipment to support eLearning and EMIS. Each school is also equipped with a digital projector.
The 2021 Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLeP) includes a pilot for the distribution of e-readers among students.
Internet connectivity: The Internet in Tuvalu is solely provided by the state-owned Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC). The corporation was established through the Tuvalu Telecommunication Corporation Act (revised 2008). The TTC has a community service obligation (CSO) agreement with the government for the provision of services throughout the islands.
TuLeP includes installation and maintenance of satellite internet connectivity equipment and internet costs for schools. Tuvalu’s government, through the Ministry of Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs and Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC), has partnered with Kacific, a private broadband satellite operator. The agreement helped TTC to provide VSAT satellites to all schools for online learning and teacher training.
Te Kakeega III 2016 to 2020 also includes improving telecommunication infrastructure in its key strategic areas.
2.2.2. Technology and learning environments
The E-Learning system in Tuvalu, which was initially started in 2014 as a pilot, consists of web servers that house an online library and a Moodle which links online educational resources (OER).
The University of the South Pacific, which services several Pacific island nations, has had a distance education programme which had online delivery and video conferencing from the late 1990s. Students can now choose from hundreds of distance education courses. Over half of all registered students study through Flexible Learning (FL), which includes different modes such as print, face-to-face, blended and online. Tuvalu is also a part of the COL Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth project (VUSSC).
Tuvalu’s Operation Continued Learning (OCL) in the Talaaliki Plan was used to establish distance education procedures during COVID-19. The program relied on paper learning materials which were distributed to students in grades 1-12 through Facebook. Year 13 received classes on the online platform Moodle, and early childhood care and education (ECCE) received education via radio/TV. Tuvalu’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) developed PDF learning materials and sent them to the outer islands as needed. If schools were closed for longer than six months, OCL was to shift to paperless methods such as media broadcasts or telecommunication between student guardians and the schools to help guide learning from home.
The 2016-20 Tuvalu Education Sector Plan III (TESP III) included outputs such as the contextualization of Open Educational Resources for all levels and delivery through an e-Learning system. It also hoped to strengthen radio programmes to enhance teaching and learning, especially for the outer islands.
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
2.3.1. Learners
According to the Tuvalu National Curriculum Policy Framework (2013) technology is a subject in the secondary school and is a Key Learning Area (KLA) for primary schools. The framework identifies eight Paramount Learning Outcomes (PLOs). Digital skills are integrated into several of them. In the first PLO, “Effective oral and written Communication" students are expected to become competent in using new information and communication technologies. The second PLO, “Self-management and leadership” ensures that students will have the skills to adapt to new technologies, ideas, and situations. In the sixth PLO, “Accessing and analysing information” students will learn to use a variety of technologies for information retrieval (ability to identify, locate, gather, store, retrieve and process information) and information processing (ability to organize, analyse, synthesise, evaluate and use information).
2.3.2. Teachers
The Tuvalu National Curriculum Policy Framework (2013) recommends for all teachers and school administration staff go through continous professional development training programmes on ICT and notes that initial basic ICT training is critical. The implementation and appraisal of the Tuvalu Teacher Competency Standards Framework in 2014 showed that more professional training was needed for teachers to improve their skills indicated in the framework.
The 2010 Pacific Regional Teacher Standards lists literacy, numeracy, and ICT as required professional knowledge for teachers. Teachers should be able to know and incorporate these skills into teaching. A teacher who is highly skilled in ICT knowledge can articulate the contents of the school’s ICT policy and use ICT in the classroom to meet the needs of their students.
The 2021 Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLeP) includes a sub-component which supports the training of teachers in using digital resources and education technology as well as distance training programs for teachers in the outer islands.
2.4. Cybersecurity and safety
2.4.1. Data privacy
Tuvalu does not have a specific law on data privacy. According to the 2021-2030 National Strategy for Sustainable Development, an appropriate legal framework to protect from cybercrime is in the process of being developed. No other information was found.
2.4.2. Online abuse and cyberbullying
According to a 2017 Ministry of Education Tuvalu Education Sector Situational Analysis, cyberbullying in Tuvalu is “not at the levels of the Western World” but still is used as a tool to intimidate others, necessitating the development of a system-wide “resilience and dealing with bullying programme”. No further information has been found.
3. Governance
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) is responsible for Tuvalu’s education system and policy. The Ministry of Communications and Transport (MCT) is responsible for the development of ICT policy but has very limited capacity.
There are several Pacific Island Countries (PIC) organizations that work together in technology education including the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP), the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Pacific Regional Initiative for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE), Pacific Heads of. Education System (PHES), the Commonwealth of Learning, and the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) which is comprised of several of the previous organizations and more. These organizations develop regional frameworks and standards to help the region communicate and develop together. They cannot override a country or territory’s sovereignty.
3.2. Roles of schools
Information was not found.
