Supporting sustainability: The professional learning of beginning teachers in Vanuatu

The importance of sustaining training for teachers cannot be overestimated. Trained teachers require continual professional development to keep up with changing contexts. Ongoing training is particularly important for beginning teachers as they start their professional journeys. Vanuatu, a small island state in the southwest Pacific, is currently grappling with significant obstacles to providing effective ongoing professional development for its teachers. To ensure children's academic success in Vanuatu, as elsewhere, it is imperative to have well-prepared and proficient teachers who can navigate the complexities of education in a rapidly evolving world. To pursue this matter, the article reports on the findings of an interpretive qualitative case study that makes meaning of the professional learning experiences of new teachers in the Vanuatu context. The study assumes that new teachers’ voices, perspectives and motivation are important when investigating professional development. The study objective was to critically explore the professional learning support provided to them in Vanuatu’s schools. To this end, seven new teachers’ experiences and perceptions of professional learning were complemented by the perceptions of four school principals involved in their support. The findings reveal general satisfaction tempered by a lack of formal feedback and evaluation mechanisms. As a response, the article proposes an induction program contextualised to the local environment and sustained over time as a vital solution to enhance teachers’ professional development, thereby positively impacting the learning outcomes of children in the future.