The visitors were Joseph Vilazon, Pohnpei’s director of education; Reynold L. Albert, Pohnpei’s Pride Project coordinator and chief of curriculum and instruction of the state Department of Education; and Catalino Damarlane, administrator of the state’s workforce development and skills training program.
According to Raynold Mechol, MOE’s chief of research and evaluation, the Pohnpei delegation wanted to “learn about how technical and vocational education and training is structured and implemented in both elementary and secondary levels of education in Palau.”Mechol said the delegation visited Palau High School to learn more about its vocational education programs, career academy programs.The visitors consulted with school personnel, students, and representatives of the various businesses, agencies and organizations that are essential partners of the school’s programs.The delegation also visited Airai Elementary School to get a glimpse of how MOE implements technical and vocational education and training programs at the elementary level.The Pohnpei DOE “Study Visit,” according to Mechol, was made possible through the Pride Project, which was launched on May 14, 2004 and implemented by the Institute of Education at the University of the South Pacific through funding from the European Union and New Zealand.The project seeks to enhance student learning in Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.Pride, which stands for “Pacific Regional Initiative for the Delivery of Basic Education,” has funded many of MOE’s school programs.
