The South Pacific Form Seven Certificate (SPFSC) is an entry-level qualification to university or employment in participating Pacific Island countries and territories. The need for a regional qualification arose when the New Zealand University Entrance (UE) programme was withdrawn. At the time, most island nations in the region relied on the UE as the entry qualification for further studies or work. The regional SPFSC qualification was created to provide an alternative that was appropriate for the pacific region.
Initially, five Pacific Island countries offered the SPFSC programme (Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu). The total student enrolment then was well below 500. Schools from Samoa and Tonga withdrew from the programme after their countries implemented their own Year 13 programmes. Currently, despite the reduced number of schools, the total student enrolment in the SPFSC programme is significantly high with a total of 1469. This number is more than the enrolment for 2021 and the years before.
In 2022, the SPFSC examination fees for the three participating countries were paid directly through a funding scheme implemented by the Australian government. Previously this was not the case. Many students would have discontinued their education if the Australian government had not redirected its innovation funds to assist the vulnerable SPFSC students, especially in Vanuatu and Kiribati.
Due to the high success of the SPFSC processes and outcomes, the Vanuatu government, with the support of EQAP, implemented their own national of their Year 13 qualification in 2023.
While 22 secondary schools participated in 2022, in 2023, 10 schools took part in the SPFSC.
In 2023, despite the lower number of participating schools, the total student enrolment in the SPFSC programme was the highest ever: 1469.
SPFSC schools
- Motufoua Secondary School, Tuvalu
- Chevalier College, Kiribati
- Kauma Adventist College, Kiribati
- King George V EB School, Kiribati
- Moroni High School, Kiribati
- Sacred Heart College, Kiribati
- St Louis High Schook, Kiribati
- Stephen Whitmee High School, Kiribati
- Teabike College, Kiribati
- William Goward Memorial College, Kiribati