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Program Guidelines

SPINF Guidelines for Supporting the Advancement of Distance Education in the Pacific Island Nation Region

For the purpose of building cooperative relationships between the Pacific Island Nations and Japan and also other countries in the international community, The Sasakawa Pacific Island Nations Fund (SPINF) makes grants in support of projects in three categories: 1) people exchanges, 2) human resource development, 3) info-communications networking.

The subject program for supporting distance education was added to the third category in April 1996. Considering it important to improve the quality and accessibility of education in the Pacific island region, SPINF has implemented this project to expand and enhance educational opportunities by making effective use of satellite and other telecommunication networks.

Distance education projects in the following three areas will receive funding priority.

1.Projects to enhance the quality of existing distance education programs

Projects aimed, for example, at developing new teaching materials or at providing training to enhance the skills of system operators, or at conducting studies or research related to such undertakings. Or projects that attempt to effect wider and/or more effective utilization of existing systems or programs.

2.Projects aimed at newly developing distance education programs

ects pursuing new potentialities in the field of distance education, such as holding seminars to promote exchange or to share academic/scientific information among Pacific island states and/or between them and extra-regional educational or research institutions. Or projects carried out to plan or to implement on an experimental basis new community education services using radio, television or other forms of media.

3.Projects aimed at promoting understanding of widely defined distance education activities

Seminars or workshops that are aimed at people in relevant institutions and government agencies as well as those engaged directly in distance education, and that promote understanding of the meaning and objectives of distance education in the Pacific Islands and/or of the need to improve, reengineer or build such systems in the region. Also activities aimed at forming international collaborative frameworks to promote cooperation and linkage among distance education providers in the region and in the larger world community.

Criteria and Perspectives Used in Evaluating Proposals

(Project proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria.)

1.Harmony with local society

Projects are expected to either contribute to solving common educational issues prevalent throughout the region or to meet the inherent social and/or cultural needs of a specific sub-region or island country. It is particularly desirable for distance education projects to be implemented in such a way that allows local citizens to reconsider the traditional culture of their region or respective countries and to create on their own initiative new social values. They should also promote cultural diversity in multiethnic states.

It is recognized that it is the basic responsibility of the governments of each island state to provide systems for enhancing compulsory and other fundamental forms of education.

Appropriateness, innovativeness, and effectiveness of proposals

1. Appropriateness: Projects activities, methodology and techniques should be tailored to the recipients' social or technical infrastructure.
   (This includes the introduction of effective alternate modes (vis-a-vis telecommunications) of providing distance education.)
2. Innovativeness: Project design and objectives should be innovative and/or original in nature.
3. Shared effect: The activities and effects of projects should as much as possible be replicatable by other organizations dealing with similar issues.

To prospective applicants:

1.Project Eligibility Requirements

Projects must, in principle, meet the following requirements to be eligible for SPINF funding:

• Projects should cover at least two of the Pacific Island Nations.
• Projects or their results should have general applicability to the other Pacific Island Nations.
• Projects should be implemented in a manner that respects and encourages local initiative.
• Projects should promote understanding of the Pacific Island Nations in Japan and other countries.

• Procurement of real estate or fixed property; construction of buildings
• Augmentation of operating expenditures
• Profit-making activities
• Purely theoretical research
• Disaster relief and other emergency activities

2.Eligible organizations

• Educational and research institutions, NGOs, and private, nonprofit foundations in the 12 Pacific Island Nations
• Regional agencies among the Pacific Island Nations
• Educational and research institutions, NGOs, and private, nonprofit foundations in Japan and other countries

3. Funding period

Grant agreements are made and renewed on an annual basis. Grants may cover a period of up to three years.

4. Application method

Though no special format is required, applications should include 1) an explanation of the project objectives, 2) an implementation plan, 3) an itemized budget plan, and 4) an detailed description of the applying organization. All applications should be submitted to the SPINF Liaison Office.

5. Application Period

There is no application filing deadline. However, applications for projects to be conducted over a set period should be submitted several months in advance. For your information, our fiscal year runs from April 1st to March 31st.