SPBEA is an intergovernmental, regional organization set up in 1980 to assist the region and member countries to develop assessment procedures towards national / or regional certificates.
The Board administers two regional senior secondary school qualifications, the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC) and the South Pacific Form Seven Certificate (SPFSC), beginning in 1989 and 2004 respectively. These two qualifications replaced New Zealand based qualifications.
In the recent years SPBEA has increased its mandate to assisting countries to improve the quality of education through the use of good assessment practice and procedures. This has included introducing Assessment for Learning (AFL), monitoring of literacy, numeracy, and life skills standards, identifying problems through research, recording (profiling) and reporting of student results, and using the results of the testing programme and to assist in the development of assessment resource material to assist in future learning.
In 2006 further developments are taking place. Firstly, to develop regional benchmarks in Literacy, numeracy and lifeskills standards - this work is being done in conjunction with UNESCO and UNICEF. Secondly, the development of a Regional Qualifications Register with SPBEA taking over an accreditation role in the region.
SPBEA has a membership of nine countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Solomons, Vanuatu), plus Australia and New Zealand who are the main donors
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- The Pacific Authority on the use of assessment for the enhancement of learning.
- The Pacific Repository for academic and professional standards and qualifications.
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In the period 2010 to 2012, SPBEA is committed to the following:
Improvement in the quality of student learning
- through the provision of technical support to build capacity within a framework of robust systems.
- through the use of assessment to monitor and evaluate performance in literacy, numeracy and life skills.
- through improving teacher competency and effectiveness.
- by supporting and strengthening National Educational Assessment Systems.
Custodian of quantitative and qualitative educational data on behalf of PICs
- by strengthening National Educational Assessment and Management Information systems, and thereby
- promoting research-based educational assessment initiatives, and for use as a basis for decision making.
Providing a high quality service through
- delivering a rigorous system of Senior Secondary School Qualifications.
- facilitating international equivalence and recognition of Pacific Qualifications.
- assisting PICs in the establishment and strengthening of National Qualifications Agencies.
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On Monday 22nd February 2010, the Minister for Education for Kiribati, Hon Toakai Koririntetaake (right) and the Permanent Secretary for Education Mr Ioataake Timeon (second from right) visited SPBEA for discussion of various Educational Issues for collaboration with Kiribati on.
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