The New Zealand Government says lifting standards in non-government schools in Tonga is a key goal of boosted education assistance to Tonga.
New Zealand is giving 9.9 million US dollars to Tonga over the next three years to improve education under a plan devised by the Tonga Government.
The World Bank is contributing another million dollars.
The New Zealand Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Marian Hobbs, says it's a significant project which results from two to three years' work with Tonga.
"What I hope it will achieve will be some equity for all the young people in Tonga, because currently now the greatest problem is around the secondary level. About one-third of the students will go onto the the governmetn schools and the rest are in non-government schools and they are of varying ability and quality."
Marian Hobbs.
