A payment program to help alleviate financial constraints many poor and vulnerable households are facing to keep their children in school, was launched today in Nuku’alofa.

Payment will be made to 1,162 Tongan households for over 2,000 secondary students through the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program, and for 125 students studying certificate level courses under TVET Tonga Student Support Fund (TSSF) program.

Both programs are implemented by the Tongan Government under the World Bank funded Skills and Employment for Tongans (SET) project.

During the launch, guest of honour, PM Hon Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa praised the conditional cash transfer for vulnerable households in Tonga. “It will provide financial support to vulnerable families to keep their children in school and assist with the purchase of needed school supplies.”

The Skills and Employment for Tongans project works to directly address Tonga’s high secondary school drop-out rates, which have reached around 20 percent of students annually, as well as ensuring those who have dropped out of secondary school have alternative vocational and learning pathways.

It also aims to improve technical and vocational education and training courses to help students build skills to make them more employable in Tonga, as well as through Australian or New Zealand employment programs.

Under the Conditional Cash Transfer program, the main recurring payment of $250 pa'anga, is designed to assist with school fees and other educational costs for over 2,000 Tongan high school students.

An additional one-off payment of $200 pa'anga is also provided to vulnerable families to deal with the economic fallout of the CoViD-19 pandemic. Families who received both payments were identified through a nationally-run poverty means test.

The World Bank’s Liaison Officer to Tonga, Natalia Latu, said “The transfer of these funds shows that the SET project is about much more than creating formal employment opportunities – it is about ensuring families can support their children in reaching their full potential.

“We are also thrilled that the project has been able to be adjusted to provide needed rapid assistance to vulnerable families in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic.” 

Meanwhile, 125 students in post-secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) will have their course fees paid directly to the training institutions.

This includes 39 TVET students from the outer islands, who will also receive a monthly allowance of $300, the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed.

Skills and Employment for Tongans (SET) [2] is funded through a US$18.5 million grant from the International Development Association, the World Bank’s fund for the most in-need countries.

A US$2.4 million grant from the Australia-Pacific Islands Partnership Trust Fund will also support the project.