The New Zealand government has announced that it will contribute $NZ14 million toward the Tonga Education Support Program (TESP).

The First Secretary with the New Zealand High Commission in Nuku'alofa, Jonathan Curr, said that the New Zealand contribution would start at the beginning of the coming financial year in July and run for the next three to five years. The New Zealand contribution to the TESP would be in support of a $USD1 million loan by the Tongan government from the World Bank to finance TESP.

Jonathan said that under the TESP funds would be made available to address the needs of all schools, in the area of curriculum development, education management, improving the quality of teachers, and "a small portion will be for the topping up of the salaries of teachers in church schools, to be on the same level as that of government school teachers."

Jonathan said that the New Zealand government financial contribution toward TESP had been studied and structured during the past few years and finally the fund was ear-marked to be made available at the beginning of the coming financial year.