Timi Melei

The Honourable
Timi Melei
MP
Minister for Education, Youth & Sports
In office
19 September 2019 – 27 February 2024
Prime MinisterKausea Natano
Preceded byFauoa Maani
Member of Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 September 2019
Preceded byMaatia Toafa
ConstituencyNanumea
Personal details
Political partyIndependent
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington

Timi Melei is a Tuvaluan politician.

Melei worked as an officer of the Tuvalu Police Force.[1] He did not attend secondary school as a teenager, but returned at age eighteen to learn English.[1] He later studied at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, graduating in 2016 with a Masters in Criminology.[1]

He was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu at the 2019 Tuvaluan general election,[2] and appointed Minister for Education, Youth & Sports in the cabinet of Kausea Natano.[3]

During his term as minister the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, launched the Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLEP) to strengthen the quality of education and service delivery for pre-school children. This five-year project, which commenced in 2020, was funded by a grant of US$14 million from the World Bank, with the project including: training of teachers; resourcing of pre-school centers with learning materials, age-appropriate readers and playgroup kits. TuLEP also includes funding for internet connectivity in all outer island schools to facilitate online learning and communications.[4]

He was appointed as a Member of Council of the University of the South Pacific.[5]

He was re-elected in the 2024 Tuvaluan general election.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c "Graduate fulfils his mother's wish". Victoria University of Wellington. 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Tuvalu elections: large turnover for new parliament". RNZ. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  3. ^ "About Us". Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Tuvalu Early Human Capability Index (TuEHCI) Report 2021" (PDF). Report No: AUS0003526. Pacific Islands Pacific Regional ASA for Education. August 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Members of Council". The University of the South Pacific. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Tuvalu general election: Six newcomers in parliament". Radio New Zealand. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  7. ^ Marinaccio, Jess (30 January 2024). "Tuvalu's 2024 general election: a new political landscape". PolicyDevBlog. Retrieved 30 January 2024.