GPE welcomes a new member from the Pacific
Washington, D.C./Suva, June 28, 2022 – The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) welcomed the Republic of Fiji today as its latest member.
"We are delighted to welcome Fiji to the GPE family," said Charles North, Acting CEO of GPE. "Fiji has been making steady progress to deliver a quality education for all children. GPE looks forward to working closely with the Fijian authorities to help transform their education system and increase their resilience to climate change," added North.
Lower secondary completion rates in Fiji have improved substantially, a testament to the government's drive to improve access to education. But vulnerability to cyclones and other extreme weather has increased pressures on the education system in Fiji.
GPE helps countries strengthen their resilience to climate change so that children don't lose out on their education.
"We are extremely pleased to become members of GPE as it gives us the opportunity to work with GPE and other partners to develop a 10-year Education Sector Plan, which will set a new direction for the education sector in Fiji. We are focusing on building resilience in our education sector and positioning it to educate students for now and the future. At this juncture education transformation is necessary by taking some bold steps to ensure that we provide education that will no longer be badly affected by large disruptions caused by pandemics and natural disasters," said Premila Kumar, Minister of Education, Fiji.
Prior to joining GPE, Fiji received a US$587,879 system capacity grant that is being administered by UNICEF as grant agent. The Australian government is both a donor to the GPE and assists the Ministry with donor and stakeholder management in their role as GPE coordinating agent in Fiji. Fiji will develop and implement an evidence-based education sector plan, including providing strong and increased domestic financing support to education.
"This is a great development for Fiji," said John Feakes, Australian High Commissioner to Fiji. "GPE will help the Fijian Ministry of Education advance its mission to provide quality education to all Fijians and is a credit to their hard work and leadership."
"UNICEF congratulates Fiji for this outstanding achievement," said UNICEF Pacific's Representative, A.I. Roshni Basu. "It takes a whole village to transform education. This membership provides the very opportunity to work together with partners, including communities, to achieve this. UNICEF will continue to support the Government of Fiji towards ambitious action in education that will lead to a better future for every girl and boy in Fiji."
In the Pacific region, GPE members also include Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
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Notes to editors
In July 2021 in London, the Global Education Summit co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, raised a record US$4 billion for GPE from donors. The fundraising total puts GPE firmly on the path to achieving its target of at least $5 billion, which will enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025.
About the Global Partnership for Education
GPE is a shared commitment to ending the world's learning crisis. We mobilize partners and funds to support 81 lower-income countries to transform their education systems so that every girl and boy can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better world. www.globalpartnership.org
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