Vanuatu schools

A statement from the Ministry of Education said the Ministry encourages parents, teachers, school principals and community leaders around the country to support children returning to school.

Minister Leingkone is requesting all boys and girls who turn six years or older by 31 May 2023, including those with disabilities, to be enrolled to start Year 1 or above in the 2023 academic year.

This is to make up for the teaching hours lost to the current COVID-19 pandemic, TC Harold and the 40th independence anniversary holiday.

The Ministry of Education and Training has announced that the one-week break will commence from 24-28 August.

Classes will resume on 30 August for the final term of this year.

The MoET said in a statement that schools wanting to close doors due to financial issues must first get approval.

The Ministry of Education and Training released the detail after their assessment from the cyclone affected areas.

The Ministry’s Director General, Bergsman Iati said they are assessing the impact on these affected kindergartens, primary schools, colleges and vocational institutions via satellite before deploying officers on ground.

DG Iati said the ministry is also assessing the welfare of teachers.

A cheque of Vt500,000 will be shared among Vila North School, Tebakor College, Fresh Water School, Epauto Adventist High School and Ecole Public Centreville.

The Vice-General Manager and Financial Controller of WILCO Home Furnishing Center, Kevin Wei, presented the cheque Wednesday.

Each academic learning institution gets Vt100,000 each to support the education of students.

The presentation was made during the launching of the new Wilco Home Furnishing.

The workshops established a solid foundation for school leaders – school improvement officers (SIOs), teachers, committee members and handymen – to plan for, carry out and maintain behaviour change activities. Activities include group handwashing, establishing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) committees and student WASH clubs, and making low-cost WASH facility upgrades. 

Water, safe water is simply the way of life.

Safe drinking water, clean hands before eating, and appropriate places to sit-sit are necessary to keep children healthy.

More than 1000 teachers are affected.

The union president Willie Abiut told the Daily Post newspaper that in a letter to the Commission the union has said if the payments are not made on time it will order industrial action throughout the country.

But the commission chairman, Derek Alexander, said he had not received the letter.

However, he has told the union the commission hopes to roll out the new teachers' salary scale this year, at a date which it has yet to set.

It said it needs five and a half million US dollars to pay for more teachers.

Commission chairman Derek Alexander said he hoped the Government would be able to find the money when a supplementary budget goes before Parliament next month.

Mr Alexander said the lack of teachers was predominantly in primary schools in remote areas.

He said he's worried the quality of teaching is suffering