11. Presentation of new policies

The Head Start Programme, or whatever it may be termed in the future, will endeavour to expand its enrolment until such time as it is able to accommodate the pre-school educational needs of at least 50% of pre-school children in the country.

The Head Start Programme, or whatever it may be termed in the future, will ensure in its selection process, that socially and economically disadvantaged children have equal access to admission in all public pre-school institutions.

The Head Start Programme will adopt an ongoing, decentralisation policy and will endeavour to ensure that all children residing in the rural sector or outer islands benefit from Early Childhood Development Programmes.

The Head Start Programme will establish a minimum professional qualification for all teachers engaged in pre-school teaching, and will ensure that the professional development of these teachers will continue throughout their teaching career.

The Head Start Programme will endeavour to cultivate working relationships with all non-governmental organisations operating pre-school programmes.

The Head Start Programme will endeavour to strengthen its relationship with the parent community, seeking to benefit from the professional services and the voluntary support of the community.

The Head Start Programme will ensure that adequate facilities, resources and space, are available and up-to-standard to ensure an acceptable and safe environment for children learning.

Given the fact that pre-school education does not receive due mention or recognition in the Education Act of 1991, and given the uncertainty surrounding its future funding, and taking into account the contribution that the Head Start Programme provides in terms of preparing new entrants to primary education it is desirable that a law, either an amendment of the existing Education Act, or a new law incorporated, be established so that due emphasis, recognition and funding are provided for pre-school education.

Basic Education

The Ministry of Education will endeavour to make primary education the national standard for all citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and will give it due support with respect to resources and importance.

The Ministry of Education will strengthen its commitment to ensure that an efficient teacher-training programme is established and is capable of meeting the needs of primary education in the country

The Ministry of Education will continue with its devolution of local schools to the management and administration of local government, and will continue to render the necessary support with respect to resources and encouragement and the maintenance of standards.

The Ministry of Education will revise a system for financing primary schools whereby the community and the local government will provide a higher level of resources for the maintenance and operation of primary schools in their jurisdiction.

The Ministry of Education will, in collaboration with the Marshall Islands’ Mayors’ Association, formulate a collaborative arrangement that will require local government a much greater role in the running of education in the outer islands.

Government will encourage and will provide the necessary support and incentive to help local governments set up within their structure a local education office that will be responsible for the supervision of schools under local government’s care.

The Ministry of Education having established the limits on the number of students per grade in primary schools will ensure that principals abide and adhere to this policy.

The Ministry of Education will ensure that adequate facilities, resources and space, are available and up-to-standard to ensure an acceptable and safe environment for children learning.

The Ministry of Education will place a particularly high emphasis on the strengthening of language, science and mathematics.

Learning Achievement

The Ministry of Education will do everything in its power to ensure that primary school students will achieve the highest learning standards in English and Marshallese, in basic math skills and a functional knowledge of basic science. In addition it will endeavour to ensure that the students gains an understanding of its social and natural environment.

The Ministry of Education will establish one national testing programme for all primary schools, and will institute an entrance examination for all grade 7 students entering the middle school. The practice of automatic promotion will need to be reviewed if we want to improve the quality of primary education.

The Ministry will monitor carefully and on a more regular basis its evaluation, assessment and testing programme and will institute appropriate educational strategies and approaches to remedy the deficiencies in students’ learning.

Adults/Literacy

The Republic of the Marshall Islands will establish a national adult literacy programme and will provide the necessary measures and means for its administration and implementation. The programme will place due emphasis on minorities, women and the socially and economically disadvantaged.

The Government of the Marshall Islands will establish an appropriate number of adult literacy centres in all outer islands for the purpose of conducting literacy programmes.

The Ministry of Education will work closely governments, community-based social groups and non-governmental organisations, including the Youth to Youth Movement, in the planning and management of literacy activities.

The Government will initiate an adult literacy teacher-training programme designed to prepare teachers to instruct in the literacy programme.

The Government will appropriate a reasonable percentage of its annual operating budget towards the cost of operating the national literacy programme.

To ensure that the national literacy programme is given due recognition and support it may require the enactment process of law.

The Government will establish an appropriate organisational structure, either within a given ministry or as a separate entity, and will charge it with the task of developing all the training materials and the methods of implementation required for the programme.

The Government will establish a book policy and a National Commission to promote, disseminate, and increase adult literacy in the country.

Skills

The Ministry of Education will endeavour to develop and implement a systematic vocational education programme that is integrated with academic learning and to co-ordinate such initiatives with other work-related practica.

The Minister of Education, in consultation with national entities responsible for occupational skills development, will ensure that a wide range of training options are available to enable young Marshallese to function in a job market and to become useful members of society.

The Minister of Education, in consultation with the Board of the National Training Council, will ensure that the existing National Training Council is developed fully to the level where it will have the necessary institutional capabilities to co-ordinate all occupational and vocational training in the country, to maintain national standards, to provide skill testing, to liaise with the employment sector, and to approve and issue certification for those who successfully complete the programme.

Quality of Life

The Government will endeavour to explore all possibilities, maximising the benefits of learning through the mass media.

The Government will give due support to efforts designed to use the tradition of the country as a means for social change. This will include the use of drama and folklore modes of communication.

The Government will endeavour to create a local newspaper, in the local language, so that Marshallese will have access to information necessary for social change.

The Government will endeavour to support and to provide all incentives necessary, including the provision of financial subsidies to encourage national and local groups, or organisations, as a way to enhance their active participation and contribution to the social, cultural and economic development of the nation.

The Government will do whatever is possible to encourage local people to have access to the mass media.

The Government will provide assistance to enable Marshallese educators to receive the necessary training in the use of the mass media.

The Government has been fully supportive of the installation of the University of the South Pacific satellite in Majuro where the public will have accessibility to new knowledge and information involved in the extension programme. The Minister of Education is currently pursuing other appropriate media technology, which will make distance learning within the Marshall Islands possible for teachers and schools in the outer islands.

The Government will take advantage of all possible joint endeavours between itself and other regional or international agencies in creating workshops/seminars and ongoing dialogue in the area of health improvement, family planning, communicable diseases including HIV/AIDS, nutrition, vaccinations, immunisation environmental/coastal management.

The Government will undertake to sponsor a study that will help determine the progress of various facets in the life of the nation over the past ten years.