The creation of a system of distance education to cover all the islands scattered across the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean is an important consideration in the development of human resources in the region. Yet with the remarkable changes in policy and technologies taking place in the telecommunications field in the Asia-Pacific region, it is impossible for educators, telecommunications workers, government officers, and others on the islands to obtain sufficient information and training about what is happening and where it is leading.
This year, with the support of the Universal Service Fund, a U.S. aid scheme, it was possible to create an environment in which all schools in American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands now have access to the Internet. Furthermore, a policy meeting was held in Honolulu to discuss the suitability of Micronesia- region telehealth and distance-education projects applying for Japanese official development assistance (ODA). The idea of applying for ODA was endorsed by President Kuniwo Nakamura of the Republic of Palau, and consultations were held with the presidents of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands on the preparation of application documents.