tonga

Tonga (population: 104,494 in 2019) has a primary net enrolment rate of 85.9% (2015)¹ and a secondary school completion rate of 82.1% (2015)¹. The youth unemployment rates (15-24 years old) is 11.7 % (2015)². The Tonga Institute of Higher Education (TIHE), a tertiary education branch of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), provides several programmes that focus on educating students in a variety of professional aptitudes and vocations. Teacher education is offered by MOET’s Tonga Institute of Education (TIOE). Tonga is a partner in the regional University of the South Pacific (USP), which supports public efforts to increase access to affordable and relevant tertiary educational services within the region.  

Internet connectivity is available to 41% (2017)³ of the population, and mobile-cellular subscriptions are at 59 per 100 people (2019)³. Infrastructure is available for distance and technology-enabled learning and for expanding access to education and training in Tonga. For more information, read COL Country Report: Tonga 2015-2021. 

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in June 2021
2. ILO. 2017. Improving Labour Market Outcomes in the Pacific: Policy Challenges and Priorities, pp. 40
3. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Eye Country profile, retrieved in March 2020