A Multimodal Education Response to the Resilience Challenge in Tonga

Abstract

Tonga is a small island nation in the Pacific. While it has been COVID free, it is susceptible to many natural disasters, such as the recent Tsunami and earthquake. Resilience is a fundamental requirement of the Tongan education system which has been partially addressed with accelerated use of technology and open, distance, and online learning, broadening access to quality education. // Supported by a grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the Tonga Ministry of Education and Training (MET) partnered with Inclusiv Education, UNICEF, Save the Children Australia, and Kaltura. The MET took an evidence-based approach. Two National school closure days were trialled to evaluate the viability of multimodal teaching approaches during future school closures brought about by Covid-19 or other emergencies. // In this way Tonga has now started to build a resilient education system, addressing issues of learning loss due to school closures and increasing equitable access to technology for teaching and learning. // This paper reports on the National level educational resilience project implemented in 2021, based on the research carried out in 2020, to deliver a comprehensive multimodal and flexible approach to education, encompassing print, radio, television and online delivery.