Vire Dare Naure Jean Sese was director general of the prime minister's office in Vanuatu for years. I was only two weeks in-country when I first met him. If this is the calibre of the senior civil service, I told myself as I left, then Vanuatu has a lot going for it.

For many Pacific nations, education is regarded as the key foundation stone of building a peaceful, productive, and prosperous society. But educators are looking for solutions as to why there is very little improvement in student performance, even after so much reform has been carried out.