The Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) Facilitating Unit (PFU) will be hosting the Pacific Heads of Education Systems (PHES) Steering Committee (SC) meeting from November 21-23 offering important opportunities for face-to-face discussion after a lapse of two years.
“The PHES -SC members have had to meet virtually as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the return of the meeting format to face-to-face this year allows for our regional members to come together and have meaningful talanoa,” said PFU Coordinator Mr Filipe Jitoko.
PHES-SC members from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Island, Federated States of Micronesia, and Tuvalu will be in Suva, Fiji, for the meeting, while Niue will attend virtually. The meeting will involve presentations and valuable discussions around topics relating to education in the region, more specifically, the progress of the first phase of PacREF activities, the upcoming Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) and other PHES matters.
The first two days will be closed for PHES-SC members only. For the remaining two days, there will be presentations from PacREF Implementing Agencies, including the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Educational Quality and Assessment Programme, The University of the South Pacific (USP) Technical and Further Education (Pacific TAFE), USP’s Discipline of Education, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and group discussions.
“We look forward and hope that the PHES-SC members will have some robust discussions during the two sessions to reset directions on the PacREF programme and find innovative ways to further strengthen regional collaboration and connection among countries and partners.” Mr Jitoko added.
A Steering Committee with membership based on a Troika arrangement is mandated by the PHES to make decisions in relation to the PacREF in between PHES meetings.
The composition of the Troika is the current chair of PHES, the immediate past chair and the next chair. The other two members are selected from the smaller Island states group and from a sub-region that is not represented in the Troika.
The PHES-SC is convened jointly by UNESCO and USP through the PFU.
