A new report says less than half of year four students in the Pacific region reached the minimum expected proficiency level of reading in 2025.
The Pacific Community (SPC) has released its 2025 Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment.
Forty-four percent of Year 4 students reached the reading minimum proficiency standard.
For boys, this dropped to 38 percent, and for girls it went up to 50 percent.
Writing and numeracy was better, with 70 and 72 percent proficiency, respectively.
For Year 6 students, 70 percent reached minimum proficiency in numeracy, 54 percent in reading, and 53 percent in writing.
Boys’ achievement was also behind girls’ in this year bracket.
These figures were garnered from surveying approximately 41,000 students in each subject.
The numbers that participated in each of the three tests (numeracy, reading and writing) for each year group varied slightly because some students did not complete all three.
The assessment was administered in 15 countries and in 10 languages (English and nine languages identified by the participating countries).
The figures include most Pacific countries, but not Papua New Guinea, the French islands, the Marianas, Guam or American Samoa.
The assessment was implemented in Papua New Guinea in 2025, but the response rates from PNG’s data collection did not meet the technical standards, so PNG 2025 data was not used in calculating regional averages.
Wellbeing a concern
The report said only around half of the students participating in the survey reported positive experiences at school.
A majority said they had been bullied at school.
“Around a third of students reported being tired, and around one in five reported being hungry or sad at school,” the report said.
“Around one in ten students reported difficulties such as not having clean clothes or shoes for school and not being able to sleep or eat because they felt worried.
“An association was found between student performance and bullying levels, with students more likely to achieve the minimum expected proficiency levels for each subject domain if they experienced low levels of bullying. This does not establish a causal link, however.”
More than three-quarters of students had teachers who reported feeling stressed at work and overwhelmed by their job.
However, almost all students had teachers who reported being proud of their work and who found their work fulfilling and inspiring.
Recommendations
Issues highlighted in the report included textbook availability and a shortage of teaching materials.
“The most commonly reported hindrances to curriculum implementation in 2025 were student absenteeism, inadequate instructional materials and teacher shortages, with around half of the students in the region attending schools with these obstacles.”
The report makes several recommendations for governments and regional entities, including promoting reading as a national priority, and doing deeper studies at the local level for clearer insights into specific issues.
Teachers are recommended to develop specific activities to support readers who are struggling, and develop and implement activities to encourage comprehension, not just finding the answers.
