Since Hindson (1995) wrote about educational planning in Vanuatu much has changed, especially in the structure and processes of the government sector. In 1997, the government of Vanuatu introduced the Comprehensive Reform Programme (CRP). And, although the main focus of the CRP is economic development, social reform is also part of the agenda. An integral component of the CRP is the gender provisions, which are (1) the incorporation of gender awareness and gender analysis into policy making at all levels, and (2) the introduction of a strong gender dimension into the collection and analysis of statistics
(CRP Co-ordination Office 1997).
As part of the CRP, nine gender benchmarks were developed, including education. However, just what this would involve was
not clearly stated in the CRP. Greater clarity was provided by three Ministry of Education guiding documents: the Education Master Plan; the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport Corporate Plan 2002-2006; and the Education for All Vanuatu:
National Plan of Action 2002-2006 (Ministry of Education 2001). All refer to gender equity in education, but how this is to be achieved is not detailed. For example, the Education Master Plan states: ‘We intend to make our education system ever more
equitable’ (Ministry of Education 1999:3). Here, the need is identified, but the ‘how to’ is missing. Although the government of Vanuatu has committed itself to improving gender equity throughout all sectors of society, in effect, progress has been slow and the government machinery that has been developed to drive those changes has on the whole been ineffective. This has direct implications for the education sector and its capacity to deliver equitable educational outcomes.
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