BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
MINISTRY of Education and Human Resource Development is working on reforming the Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Solomon Islands with aim to offer quality education, it is reported.
According to the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) It is the right of all Solomon Island children to have access to quality early childhood development and preprimary education.
Ministry stated it is their intention to ensure access to quality early childhood development and preprimary education happens to ECE schools across the province.
“We need to understand how our education system can continue to advance so that our dream of all children starting and completing their basic education becomes real,” MEHRD said.
In MEHRD’s report, it stated this is to be achieved through a reform program lead by the ECE unit in MERHD with many progressive activities towards this target already completed.
It also add last year Ministry completed an ECE Road Map as the key document to create a pathway for re-organization and improvement.
The materials were develop as a consequent through consultations undertaken in Malaita, Makira, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara and Western Province.
Following that another consultation was done with other key stakeholders with the team also carried out an awareness program on the current development of the ECE Road Map.
This road map has been completed by the ECE Task Force and supported by the ECE Technical Advisor including ECE Unit, and consultation done over the past years.As part of this program, MEHRD will provide regulatory guidelines, parenting support to ECE programs for three and four year olds, establish quality standards, monitor and register centres in communities.
The road map also forms the basis for the ECE curriculum review and development.
There are three forums organised by MEHRD for HODs and other stakeholders such as UNICEF and SINU to look into its viability.The ECE team has also compiled a Draft Pre-Primary Year (PPY) curriculum framework.
The draft curriculum was completed and undergoing final review for implementation in this year and this framework will provide pathway for linking ECE into Primary Education.
The PPY curriculum had been planned to be trialed in Malaita, Guadalcanal and Honiara in this year.
Solomon Islands by 2030 aimed to achieve its goal under the Sustainable Development Goals under goal 4—ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
