Cook Islands

The Cook Islands (Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand, in the South Pacific Ocean.

It comprises 15 small islands with a total land area of 240 square kilometres (92.7 sq mi). The Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 1.8 million square kilometres (0.7 million sq mi) of ocean.

The population of the Cook Islands is nearly 20,000.

The capital (and largest city) is Avarua.

The main population centres are on the island of Rarotonga (around 14,000), where there is an international airport.

Defence is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request. In recent times, the Cook Islands have adopted an increasingly independent foreign policy.

With over 90,000 visitors travelling to the islands in 2006, tourism is the country's number one industry, and the leading element of the economy, far ahead of offshore banking, pearls, marine and fruit exports.

There is also a much larger population of Cook Islanders in New Zealand, particularly the North Island. In the 2006 census, around 58,000 self-identified as being of ethnic Cook Island Māori descent.

The Cook Islands is not a United Nations full member but participates in WHO and UNESCO, and is an associate member of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

The languages of the Cook Islands include English, Cook Islands Māori (Rarotongan) and Pukapukan. Cook Islands Māori and its dialectic variants are closely related to both Tahitian and to New Zealand Māori. Pukapukan, by contrast, is considered closely related to the Samoan language. Both English and Cook Islands Māori are considered official languages of the Cook Islands.

For more details see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_Islands

Education in the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands Ministry of Education has responsibility for education. Its web site is at http://www.education.gov.ck and there is a list of Directorates at http://www.education.gov.ck/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=153&Itemid=17

There is a list of the schools, over 30 in number, at http://www.education.gov.ck/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=14&Itemid=5

Learning for Life, the Cook Islands Education Master Plan (2008–2023) is a available at http://www.education.gov.ck/docs/education_master_plan.pdf. There is only one mention of ICT - "Provide for the establishment and resourcing of specialist areas eg ICT, Performing Arts". There are no uses of phrases such as "e-learning", "distance learning" or "flexible learning". yet more generally, the Ministry is keen to foster ICT - as noted in the advertisement for a Chief Information Technology & Communications Manager at http://www.education.gov.ck/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=701&Itemid=1

Virtual schooling

The Cook Islands are reported as just starting (2012) to deliver courses by Skype to some of their 15 outer islands.

Teaching of ICT

As an element of all educational programmes in the Cook Islands, the Ministry of Education introduced ICT in 2001 by developing a draft Technology curriculum. Within this draft curriculum, ICT was included as an equally valuable area of learning. The teaching of ICT has been active since then, mostly in secondary schools and students can sit of for the NCEA Level 1-2 of the New Zealand assessment programme. In 2005, there were 5 primary schools (Avarua, St Josephs, Nikao, Arorangi and Te Uki Ou) offering computer education. Six secondary schools in Tereora, Titikaveka, Nukutere, Araura, Mauke and Mangaia, were already offering ICT studies.

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