The Fiji Education Support Program: An International Development Initiative

Abstract

The Fiji Education Support Program, (FESP) is an initiative of AusAid and is managed by ACIL. The program which was jointly implemented by the Department of Education and Training, Western Australia, (DETWA) and Curtin University of Technology, (CUT) involved a group of nine senior executives, including the CEO from the Ministry of Education in Fiji, and representatives from Lautoka Teachers College, who undertook a study tour of the Western Australian education system in semester one 2004. The aim of the program was for participants to develop an understanding of the Primary, Secondary and TAFE sector in Western Australia, to form partnerships, strengthen leadership and to build the capacity to reform policy and strategic direction for the improvement and delivery of education in Fiji. This study is an evaluation of the program, the perceptions of participants and the conclusions they reached for prioritising policy in their own country as a result of their experiences.