“Government Budget FY 2025- FY 2027 – Key Initiatives to Support the Education Sector”
17 June 2024
Nuku’alofa, Tonga – During his Budget Speech at the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the Minister of Finance, Hon. Tiofilusi Tiueti, announced a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing support to the education sector. Efforts are taken to improve the accessibility to quality education, enhance the safety and resilience of the education infrastructure and the overall development of the sector. A total of $113.4 million is allocated to support the implementation of activities under the ‘Government Priority Agenda 4: Improving education for all’.
Some of the new initiatives include:
- Proposed increase of grants to non-government schools:
- Secondary schools – to increase from $700 to $770 per head.
- TVET schools – to increase from $1,200 to $1,320 per head.
- Increase from $50 to $200 per head for Early Childhood Education (ECE)/Kindergarten.
- Provide free public education up to Form 5.
- Grant support for the Hango Institute of Agriculture in ‘Eua to assist their facilities as they are already receiving a $1,320 per head grant.
- Expand the provision of inclusive education to outer islands.
- Implement a 10.0 percent duty allowance for teachers to reflect that teachers’ don’t receive overtime payment, difficult to retain, and they use personal times to prepare for classes.
- Ongoing implementation of education key programs, including the curriculum review, teacher registration and training, digital reforms to aid educational delivery mode and the provision of student breakfast to support students’ well-being.
The Government of Tonga remains dedicated to support the development of the education sector, expand productivity and enhancing quality educational opportunities for all. This is critical for human development and the improvement in living standard of all Tongans.
-ENDS-
