APSIG newsletter no. 61: July 2006

Up the creek with a PADDLE

The Pacific Archive of Digital Data for Learning and Education (PADDLE) is a new project aimed at improving educational infrastructure in the Pacific. PADDLE has been developed as part of the PRIDE Project (Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of basic Education). The PRIDE Project seeks to enhance student learning in fifteen Pacific countries by strengthening the capacity of each Ministry of Education to plan and deliver quality basic education. The Project is implemented by the Institute of Education at the University of the South Pacific and is jointly funded by the European Union and the New Zealand Agency for International Development.

It facilitates the sharing of best practice and experience amongst the fifteen Pacific countries of the Project. The focus is to provide access to all relevant education policy, planning and development material from the participating countries. Most of these documents have previously been unavailable in digital form. It provides full text access to a comprehensive collection of Pacific education material. This includes publications from the participating Ministries of Education including strategic plans, education legislation, curriculum frameworks and school policies. It also contains national development plans, statistics and budget information for the fifteen Pacific countries.

PADDLE is available online at and in CD-ROM format.

An e-mail service with updates of additions is available, along with education news from the Pacific. To subscribe to the email service or to request a CD-ROM copy of PADDLE, write.

Elizabeth Cass University of the South Pacific