Burnett, Greg, and Suluma, Wili (2024) Formal education in Nauru: A Pacific development assistance story. Asia Pacific Viewpoint. (In Press)

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Abstract

Formal education in Nauru can only be fully understood in the light of the external influences, mostly Australian in origin, acting upon it as a small island state in the Central Pacific. Australia’s influence began in the early 1900s as a leading stakeholder in Nauru’s lucrative phosphate reserves. In the last few decades Nauru’s dramatic economic decline has meant it has come into the orbit of Australia’s official development assistance (ODA) to the Pacific region. However, Australia has ties to Nauru that go beyond mere economic and development assistance, for example, the country is a crucial site in Australia’s own immigration policy and the offshore processing of asylum seekers bound for Australia. Geopolitically, Nauru is also important to Australia as one of a decreasing number of Taiwan-loyal Pacific nations in the face of China’s increasing assertiveness in the region. The nature of the relationship with Nauru has meant that for many decades Australia has provided an almost exclusive conduit of educational ideas, values, beliefs and practices flowing into the country to uniquely shape formal education provision. This article critiques the long-running, primarily, Australia-facing relationship Nauru has in terms of the educational assistance it receives, including the Nauru Education Program (NEP), a significant Australian development assistance initiative about to commence through to 2030. This article also highlights the possibility of a much more Pacific regionally-facing Nauru over the next few decades as a result of relatively recent regional instrumentalities such as the Pacific Island Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

Item ID:	81777
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1467-8373
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Authors. Asia Pacific Viewpoint published by Victoria University of Wellington and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
Date Deposited:	20 Feb 2024 01:05
FoR Codes:	39 EDUCATION > 3904 Specialist studies in education > 390499 Specialist studies in education not elsewhere classified @ 50% 39 EDUCATION > 3902 Education policy, sociology and philosophy > 390299 Education policy, sociology and philosophy not elsewhere classified @ 50%
SEO Codes:	16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1602 Schools and learning environments > 160205 Policies and development @ 50% 16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1602 Schools and learning environments > 160299 Schools and learning environments not elsewhere classified @ 50%
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