$385M support for education is very welcome news

$385M support for education is very welcome news

Posted by : Frank Short Posted on : 11-Nov-2021
Dollar 385M support for education is very welcome news

The Solomon Islands government, the Australian Government, and New Zealand Government have invested $385 million towards Education Support Programmes.

The investment is managed by the Education Sector Support Program (ESSP) for a period of four years beginning the last year 2020.

ESSP has three components and four expected program outcomes.

The components include direct budget support for the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development to deliver annual work programs and activities aligned with the National Education Action Plan, technical advisory support to enable capacity development and skills, and grant to non-government organizations (NGOs) to strengthen early childhood care, education and community support for children’s learning.

The expected program will see; improvement in basic education participation and completion rates, improvement in learning outcomes for children in basic education (particularly literacy and numeracy), improvement in learning outcomes for disadvantaged children in basic education and improved education sector management by Education Authorities, Schools and MEHRD, in support of improved teaching and learning.

A program management team has been established to support the program management, coordination, and delivery of capacity development supports an NGO grants.

And, a Governance Committee for the program has been established with representatives from MEHRD and relevant Solomon Islands Government ministries alongside representatives from Australia and New Zealand.

Source. Island Sun newspaper.

COMMENT

Thank you Australia and New Zealand

I very much hope, however that children with disabilities and special learning needs will not be forgotten in national plans for the disadvantaged, especially children in the provincial areas outside Honiara.

While I much appreciate financial support for educational attainment by Solomon Islands students I worry that many successful graduates return home from universities such as the USP and from studies at universities abroad and cannot find jobs in the public service or the private sector. Over-qualified students without finding work are wholly frustrated by the lack of work opportunities at home and often have no choice but to do manual tasks, when even when such work can be found, but the pay is minimal and the students are unable to give back to their parents the returns invested in the years of education.

Ideally the SIG should seek to find an employment pathway to work opportunities in the Pacific or further afield by negotiating with internationally based ‘Head Hunter” organizations who might then engage with the waiting talent of Solomon Islanders with higher-level education attainments – and willing to move abroad to further their careers.

For those students leaving schools without the academic skills needed to progress to higher education, there must be more opportunities created for them in trade skills such as provided by the several rural training institutions. The rural trade schools do excellent work in turning out young people with trade crafts but such institutions need extra financial support and equipment, including necessary tools and machinery for woodworking and metal craft.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

www.solomonislandsinfocus.com

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