Press Statement - Pacific Islands Forum Education Ministers will gather in Nuku'alofa, Tonga 24 - 26 March to discuss a review of the Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP) which was endorsed in 2001.

FBEAP has been delivered through the Pacific Regional Initiatives for Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) project

"At their 2007 meeting, Education Ministers noted that the FBEAP was now seven years in existence and that it was timely to undertake a thorough review of the contents of the Plan and its relevance to the educational priorities expressed by member countries," says Tuiloma Neroni Slade.

"A key component of the review which was undertaken by independent consultants last year was a detailed analysis of the educational priorities and challenges facing Forum Island Countries (FICs)," says Mr Slade.

He adds: "This Education Ministers meeting is very important as it will help articulate a roadmap for the education sector in the region as the Ministers discuss and agree on options for a future regional initiative to support Pacific education. This is particularly relevant as funding for the regional education project, PRIDE, will cease at the end of 2009."

Forum Education Ministers will discuss other issues connected to the implementation of FBEAP including:

- Status of implementation of Education for Sustainable Development
- Status report on Monitoring and Evaluation
- Update on the Regional Qualification Register
- Update on regional initiatives in technical and vocational education and training
- A pilot on entrepreneurship and financial curriculum in Samoa

The Ministers will also consider the development of regional standards for teachers and principals, which is aligned to the spirit of the Pacific Plan that advocates standardization across the region in the field of education.