Implementing Agency:
Department For International Development (PAND)

Managing Institute:
UK Federation for the Peoples of the South Pacific (UKFSP)

Project Code: 227-680-002	Start Date: 01-Apr-90	End Date: 01-Mar-97
Commitment: £100,106	Status: Completed	Type of Funding: Bilateral - JFS

Project Background:
Formal education in Vanuatu is western-based, expensive, and limited, and therefore only about six out of every 10 youths are able to complete secondary school, and only two or three of these are able to go on to university studies. Every year a large number of youths between the ages of 13-18 are pushed out of the formal school system. Locally known as "school-leavers", their basic formal education does not prepare them for a village livelihood and many drift into the two urban centres to contribute to increasing urban population growth, unemployment and crime. For most of the remainder, their future is in self or family employment in rural areas.

The limited government resources are prioritised for formal education, leaving the non-formal education (NFE) sector to churches, communities and other non-government organisations (NGOs).

The Vanuatu Rural Development and Training Centres' Association (VRDTCA) grew out of a proejct of the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific (FSP) that was initiated to address the problem of under-educated school leavers by promoting and assisting the work of community-based Rural Training Centres (RTCs) throughout Vanuatu. FSP has been assisting the RTCs in the process to develop their own local NGO association as a sustainable promotion of rural training and NFE since 1988.

Project Objectives:
To build up and support the newly established association VRDTA which si aiming to strengthen and improve the management and curriculum of the country's Rural Training Centres in order to increase skill level.

Increase in rural Training Centre membership by an average of 2 new TRC members over the four year project period; ie growth from current membership of 10 centres, to 18 in 1996.

Development of Vanuatu Rural Development and Training Centres Association resourcing capacity, including the library, a bi-weekly radio programme, newsletter and computer materials.

Curricula development and training in Forest Management and training of appropriate staff in all RTCs in the use of the Agro-Nutrition curriculum.

Intended Outputs:
Rural Training Centres strengthened as sustainable community education institutions.

New Rural Training Centres established by communities.

Vanuatu Rural Development and Training Centres Association strengthened as networking and resource centre.

Agro/Nutrition training curriculum developed by RTC staff, plus staff trained in non-formal education methods.

Curriculum developed for Forest Management Training.

Women's economic activities introduced into Rural Training Centre training courses.

Appropriate village technologies introduced into RTCs.