Supporting Sustainability: The Professional Learning of Beginning Teachers in Vanuatu

Abstract

The importance for sustainable education of ongoing training for teachers cannot be overestimated. Trained teachers require continual professional development in order to keep up with a changing context so that sustainability is ensured. This is particularly true of beginning teachers as they start their professional journeys. Vanuatu, a small island state in the southwest Pacific, is currently grappling with significant obstacles in providing effective ongoing professional development for its teachers. In order to ensure the academic success of children in Vanuatu, as elsewhere, it is imperative to have well-prepared and proficient teachers who can navigate the complexities of education in a rapidly evolving world. To pursue this matter, the article reports on findings of an interpretive qualitative case study that makes meaning of the professional learning experiences of new teachers in the Vanuatu context. The study assumes that new teachers’ voices, perspectives, and motivation are important in investigating professional development. The study objective was to critically explore the professional learning support provided to them in Vanuatu schools. To this end, seven new teachers’ experiences and perceptions of professional learning were complemented by the perceptions of four school principals involved in their support. The findings reveal general satisfaction tempered by a of lack formal feedback and evaluation mechanisms. As a response, the article proposes an induction program, contextualized to the local environment, and sustained over time, as a vital solution to enhance teachers' professional development, thereby positively impacting the learning outcomes of children in the future.