Palau College celebrates first 4-year degree program and new science building; nation prepares to build new K-12 school in Ngchesar

Palau is celebrating major milestones in education, with Palau Community College launching its first four-year degree program and the government moving ahead with plans for a new K-12 school in Ngchesar.

Palau Community College announced the approval of a four-year Bachelor of Science program, the first for the institution but something PCC President Patrick Tellei and his team have been working on for several years. 

“Palau Community College … received official approval from our governing Board of Trustees on April 9, 2025, and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges on Aug. 14, 2025, to offer the Bachelor of Science in Science program — our inaugural baccalaureate degree,” Tellei wrote in a letter to President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. “This new Bachelor of Science in Science program represents a significant step forward for PCC and, by extension, for the people of Palau. It will provide greater access to advanced education and foster a new generation of professionals equipped to tackle our nation's challenges.”
(See the Tellei's letter to the president here.)

The new program will allow residents to take advantage of the relatively less expensive tuition at PCC for their four-year degree in science before pursuing higher-level degrees in Guam, Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Officials have said the goal of the new program is to provide a pathway for young Palauans to pursue careers in health and science. Palau is severely short on nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. There's also a high demand in Palau for college graduates in the sciences to assist with the many agricultural and marine programs in Palau, which has world-renowned coral reef and ocean studies programs, and a growing agricultural program that is being developed in partnership with Japan, Taiwan and other partners. There's also a demand for engineers to help the currently struggling Palau Public Utilities Commission. As a result the government has to recruit these professionals from other countries. Many of the national hospital and clinic personnel are from the Philippines, Samoa and Fiji. 

Tellei thanked Whipps for his assistance and support leading to the accreditation of the new four-year program, as well as securing funds for the new Science Building that will house the program. The facility includes a nursing demonstration laboratory, a library, one wet and one dry laboratory, eight classrooms, an auditorium and various offices. The 13,600-square-foot building was constructed by Neco Construction Inc. at a cost of $2,660,500. The building made its debut during the recent Pacific Mini Games, serving as the athletes’ medical clinic. 

On Sept. 3, members of the executive and legislative branches joined the Ministry of Education for a handover ceremony for the Teacher Training Center at Palau High School.

Charles I. Obichang, minister of Public Infrastructure and Industries, thanked the people and governments of India, Brazil and South Africa for their support of Palau’s education system. The International Organization for Migration administered the project, according to a press release.

A signing ceremony was also held in Ngchesar, one of the states in the northern island of Babeldaob, near the site of a new educational campus that will include a K-12 school. Students from the current elementary schools serving Melekeok, Ngchesar and Ngiwal will attend the new school, which will also accommodate grades 9-12. That means students living in the north will no longer have to take the more than one-hour bus ride from home to Palau High School in Koror.

With many schools facing teacher shortages, consolidating student populations from three elementary schools will help address the issue, Ministry of Education officials have said.

Whipps said during the ceremony that the school will also include classrooms and housing for faculty, along with recreational facilities, offices and other related amenities. He said the gym and other facilities will be used to benefit community programs in addition to school events.

He also said the new school complex will contribute to economic development in northern Palau. The project will require new access roads and utilities, which will benefit property owners in the surrounding area. As more people settle in the area, he said, businesses will be drawn to set up shop, creating jobs. 

Whipps, Ngchesar Gov. Duane Hideos, Ngirakebou Andres Madraisau, the Palau Public Lands Authority, and the Ngchesar Public Lands Authority signed an agreement allowing the national government to use the land for the new school. mbj