Vanuatu’s dream is to strive for a “just, healthy, wealthy, and educated nation”. It aims at achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) target 3, of ensuring “equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education, including university” by 2030. This is also reflected in the Vanuatu National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP), Goal 2.4 to “increase higher education opportunities, including technical and vocational training and skills”.
Vanuatu has placed quality education and the development of its national human resources as a top priority agenda item, not only to improve its own economic, social and cultural development, but also to become a leading Pacific nation in tertiary and higher education.
The Act n°34 of 2019 establishing the National University of Vanuatu (NUV) has been unanimously adopted by the Parliament on 17 December 2019 and officially published on 24 January 2020.
The purpose of the University as stated in its article 3 is “to provide higher education advancement and lifelong learning through academic and professional excellence by way of training, teaching and learning, in both the English and French official languages, research and international cooperation”.
The new legislation is required to pave the way for combining Post-School Education and Training (PSET) training institutions such as the School of Education, Vanuatu Institute of Technology, Vanuatu Agriculture College, Vanuatu Maritime College, Vanuatu Nursing College, and Vanuatu Police College.
Two faculties are established under the University:
- The Faculty of Humanities
- The Faculty of Science and Technology.
Each Faculty is led to group together five schools, as mentioned in the law.
