Home Blog Page 1154

MEHRD commits to equal access to education for both female and male students

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

IN its annual 2017 report, the education ministry shares three change pathways of how they think education improvement will happen amidst its current National Educational Action Plan (NEAP) 2016-2020 timeframe.

Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) explains that these pathways is also what they refer to as their “Theory of Change” (ToC) which provides the basis for planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting by clearly describing expected results of what and how the ministry contributed to the results more on, what they will measure and report.

Under the theory of Change (ToC), MEHRD’s three change pathways are; Increased Access to Education, Improved Quality of Education and Improved Management of Education.

MEHRD expressed that it maintains a strong commitment to all female and male students having a safe and equitable access to complete their education irrespective of social, economic or other status.

In addition, as stated, the ministry implements a range of activities to understand what stops children commencing, continuing and completing their education.

“Understanding the ‘blockers’ to access creates an opportunity for evidence based decision-making regarding future access related strategies,” said MEHRD.

To top that off, the ministry mentioned that it will also focus on the implementation of infrastructure activities and reframing pre-primary years into early childhood education as it believes that this will contribute to children’s completion of basic education (inclusive of PPY) and an increased number of children completing 13 years of education.

In the case of “Improved Quality of Education”, MEHRD states that this is a priority area during the first phase of NEAP.

“Developing and implementing a new curriculum, reshaping the approach to student assessment and realigning teaching strategies to focus on the child will form the basis for achieving improvements,” said MEHRD.

As for the third pathway, “Improved Management of Education”, it is reported that the education ministry engages in a collaborative process with education partners to improve education management at the school, education authorities and national level (MEHRD).

MEHRD emphasised that improvements in education management are inter-connected between the three levels of education management to which sound education management provides the foundation for increasing access to and improving the quality of education.

‘Education opportunities not fair in Solomon Islands’

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

PRIVILEGE to tertiary education tends to be entrenched in a privilege belonging to the elite, a report shows.

According to the United Nation Development Programme’s 2018 report on Solomon Islands Youth Status compiled by Dr Anouk Ride, tertiary education tends to entrench elite privilege and gender and other disadvantages.

The report highlighted that every year, students complain about scholarships being allocated not according to merit but to elite and kin-based privileges.

The system tends to disadvantage women, it said.

Besides, in 2017, only 28 percent of government scholarships for school graduates (26 out of 91 pre-service scholarships) were awarded to women.

Respondent recommends there is a need to reform the scholarship system to ensure access according to merit, match scholarships with government and industry needs, and foster effective spending of large financial allocation.

In addition, at the postgraduate level the report stated that few men or women have the opportunity to study.

For Solomon Islanders only 25 currently possess a PhD, which is very low compared to neighbouring countries such as Fiji, and the government stated in 2016 that it wants to support high-achieving tertiary students into post-graduate degrees, it said.

However, access to education is only part of the story; there are many tertiary-educated people in the country who are unable to find work in their field after their studies.

Scholarships have tended to focus on the civil service while neglecting industry needs, resulting in a shortage of finance and managerial staff in most sectors.

The tourism and cultural industries, for example, suffer from a lack of managerial, promotional and marketing expertise – skills needed to professionalise services and export cultural products.

On the other of the spectrum, only one in six school leavers find paid employment. There is an acute lack of vocational and life-skills training, the report stated.

It also stated that rural training centres in the country report high demand for the less than 3,000 places offered each year.

Meanwhile, increasing population numbers have resulted in the current situation where numbers of vacancies in this sector are few and cannot meet the demand for employment of school leavers.

A silent problem

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
Youth@Work holds information sessions for youth

Youth unemployment continues to increase in SI

 

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

YOUTH unemployment in Solomon Islands continues to increase, a report shows.

70 percent of Solomon Islands’ population are youths, and the Solomon Islands Youth Status Report 2018 report shows a majority of youths only reach lower levels in the education system.

One reason which stands out, especially for females, is that they get married in their early or mid-20s; another factor which impacts their chances of getting employment.

The report also states that young mothers in particular are less likely to be able to participate in work and the economy.

In the 2009 census, young mothers in rural areas produced goods for their own consumption (56 percent), but most urban teenage mothers were doing unpaid domestic work (60 percent).

Only 17 percent of young mothers were in paid employment – 28 percent of those in urban areas and 16 percent of those in rural areas.

The report also highlighted their options are limited due to childcare responsibilities and lower levels of education

Meanwhile, average age at first marriage in Solomon Islands is 23.3 years of age for women and 27.1 for men.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), youth unemployment rate is at over 35 percent.

Although this is difficult to measure precisely because of informal work, patterns of shifting between agriculture and informal business, variable incomes and lack of data on livelihood incomes, certain sectors such as retail and journalism have generally young workforces but they also tend to be low-paid, the report shows.

Recently, Solomon Islands Government launched the National Youth Policy 2017—2030.

In the policy, it spells out areas for addressing Solomon Islands’ youth unemployment which are particularly focuses on youth entrepreneurships.

With that, SIG also set agreements with Australia, Japan, Taiwan and New Zealand in terms of Labour mobility with aim to address youth unemployment rate which currently rise in the country.

TSL round one ends this weekend

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
TSL table

Warrrios remains top of table via goal difference

By Taromane Martin

DEFENDING champions of the Telekom Soccer League (TSL) Solomon Warriors FC remains top of the table as the 2018-2019 season continues this weekend.

Two matches are set for this Saturday and Sunday at the Lawson Tama as round one of the current TSL season draws to a close.

Warriors are currently with 13 points on the table and a goal difference of 16 sitting in pole position from Henderson Eels FC and Western United FC who are also with 13 points but has a goal difference of 11 and eight, respectively.

Solomon Warriors FC for this weekend will take on sixth placed-Malaita Kingz FC in the 4pm main match on Sunday.

A victory for them will leave them sitting comfortably at the top.

But with Western United FC and Henderson Eels FC chasing close behind and both with seemingly easy fixtures for this weekend, it will be another must win encounter for Moses Toata and his Warriors when they meet Rence Talo and his improving Malaita Kingz outfit this Sunday.

Meanwhile TSL matches for tomorrow will see Real Kakamora FC taking on Western United FC at 2pm followed by KOSSA FC and Henderson Eels FC at 4pm while FC Guadalcanal takes on Marist FC in the final matches for Round one of this TSL season.

“I’m sure it will be a tough game. While I respect KOSSA we are also desperate for the three points come this Saturday,” Henderson Eels FC head coach Eddie Marahare reacted to this fixture.

TSL table

Games Council by-passed: Dioko

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
The swimming area with the accomodation and changing rooms at one end.

THE Renbel Solomon Games Task Force has by-passed the Solomon Games Council (SGC) in all their dealings, Council Vice-President Siosi Dioko states on Thursday.

The Solomon Games Council is the highest governing body of the triennial event, according to the Solomon Games Charter which was formally adopted in November 2013.

Dioko said the undermining of the Games Council by the local organising committee of the event scheduled for next month in Renbel resulted in the setbacks they encountered recently.

“The games council has been undermined in all the dealings regarding the upcoming hosting.

“This is wrong. There have been a lot of mix-ups recently where the local organising committee has totally forgotten about us.

“The Solomon Games is not owned by the National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI). The Games is owned by the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Home Affairs and governed by an independent body which is the Solomon Games Council.

“The SGC is the supreme and decisive authority in all matters concerning the Games and it has the final say.

“NOCSI is an important member of the games council and their role is to facilitate for the running of the sporting events while the government provides fund for the games. This how it works.

“The SGC decides on the hosting of the games and its members are Provincial and Honiara City Council Sports Committees; The National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands; The Solomon Islands National Sports Council; The Ministry responsible for Sports in the Government of Solomon Islands; and The Oceania National Olympics Committee,” Dioko said.

The Vice-President said they have made a submission to the Ministry of Home Affairs so that the games council can convene a meeting regarding this as soon as possible.

Dioko added that an important issue to look is the latest withdrawals by provinces from the games in Renbel.

“Our defending champion Guadalcanal had already withdrawn and followed by Western, Central and the latest is Malaita.

“This is an important issue to look at.”

Female rep bow out of Vanuatu junior open

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
Zorika Morgan during her match in the Vanuatu International Junior Open this week.

BY ROMULUS HUTA

Zorika Morgan during her match in the Vanuatu International Junior Open this week.

THE Solomon Islands representative at this week’s Vanuatu International Junior tennis Open currently underway in Port Vila has bowed out in the quarterfinal of the singles on Wednesday.

Zorika Morgan, 14, is the only tennis player representing the country at the five-day event.

Zorika is based at the Oceania Tennis Federation (OTF) training center based in Lautoka, Fiji under scholarship.

Kick-started with day one of competition on Monday at Port Vila’s Korman Sporting Complex, Zorika began the singles competition campaign nicely done with a victory over New Zealander Ajiah Prittchard Lolo in a three-set round one thriller.

Named as the youngest entry in the competition, Zorika led the first set 6-2 before Lolo came back stronger to win the second set by 7-5. Zorika went into the final set after recess and posted a 6-3 margin to qualify into the quarterfinals.

In the last eight, an unseeded Zorika came up against fourth seed Elena Micic of Australia but lost by two straight sets of 6-1, 6-3.

Zorika paired up with Conatsu Kaga of Northern Marianas for the doubles competition but their campaign was shortened by a first round defeat of 6-1, 6-4 to Elena Micic (Australia) and Clara Cwajgenbaum of New Caledonia.

Meanwhile, this junior international event is a grade 5 tournament according to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and it is the first to be hosted in Vanuatu.

Players who have enrolled at this event come from the Pacific Region, Australia, New Zealand, the United-States of America, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, China, Russia and even Latvia.

‘Nurses should be prioritised’

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

A concerned citizen says more government priority should be given to nurses in the country.

The individual who wishes to remain anonymous says she had experienced seeing only one nurse tending to a ward in the national referral hospital who by the time her shift had ended was still working.

She expressed that there is more that meets the eye for situations like this, adding that there are other factors which might have led to why another nurse was unable to make it on time resulting in only one nurse covering for about half of her shift before retiring.

The concerned individual stressed that when it comes to nurses necessities like proper housing, sanitation and transportation availability should not be overlooked or better yet improved.

She voiced that if the government through the ministry of health utilized the area opposite the St Barnabas Cathedral Church and turn it into an apartment complex for nurses with proper sanitation it would be not only be a healthy environment for nurses who are to provide care and services to the sick and risk their health to work tirelessly but it would also be much closer to the hospital saving transportation costs and time.

Nothing wrong with sister provinces wanting to be a part of us: MMF president

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

ACCORDING to the President of Malaita Ma’asina Forum (MMF), Martin Housanau, there is nothing wrong with sister provinces wanting to be a part of the forum.

Speaking during a recent annual general meeting, he stressed that although Malaita Ma’asina Forum was established with its own institution only for the people of Malaita, there other provinces who feel that they are already a part it based on their past involvement in the Ma’asina movement.

He explained that in the past, when Ma’asina Ruru was first put together back in the 1940s, it did not only involve Malaita province but also some areas of Makira, Isabel, Guadalcanal and Central Islands.

Henceforth, Housanau says that the provinces have heard about the issues they have discussed in their forum and feel that they should also be a part of these issues.

He furthered that these issues are not only relevant in Malaita province but also in Central, Isabel, Guadalcanal and Makira provinces and in other provinces who did not take part in Ma’asina movement in the past.

Maneka supports Melanesian sisters with housing material

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
MP Samson Manake hand over iron roofing to Elder Sister Ms Rubi Kwairamo with witnesses standing besides.

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

MP Samson Manake hand over iron roofing to Elder Sister Ms Rubi Kwairamo with witnesses standing besides.

MEMBER of Parliament for North Guadalcanal constituency handed over housing materials to the Community of the Sisters of Melanesia NAT household on Thursday.

The donation by MP Samson Maneka will go towards building of a permanent rest house for Melanesian Sisters at Bokonseu, East Guadalcanal province.

Elder Sister Ms Rubi Kwairamo said MP Maneka has responded positively towards the longstanding needs of having a permanent rest house for Melanesian Sisters.

She said, “Our need has been there since 1980 to date to have iron roofing, and now I am feeling blessed to receiving the donation from MP Maneka, and we hope to live under the permanent house soon.”

She said throughout the years they used sago palm leafs as roofing, and the challenge is having to repair it every year – a costly exercise.

Kwairamo said now that longstanding problem is solved thanks to Maneka for the timely response.

“Now honorable has our problem solved, and now that we receive this red color borne iron roofing for our rest house, we wish him God’s blessing in his work as a Member of Parliament,” Kwairamo said.

“On behalf of Sisters we would like to thank our MP Samson Maneka for responding to our need because so many years we struggle for building of rest house.”

Meanwhile, Maneka said, “This is a continuous support to institutions within North Guadalcanal constituency.”

He said supporting Sisters of Melanesia is part of the constituency assistance for church groups including main centres.

Maneka assured that they will continue to help them depending on what are requested.

He said he wants to assist church organisations because faith-based organisations play a big role in shaping and maintaining peace in the communities.

Meanwhile, 24 pieces of 14 feet red colour borne iron roofing were donated to the Community of the Sisters of Melanesian NAT household.

On Saturday this week, the committee of North Guadalcanal constituency will meet to set a date for distributing iron roofing to families soon.

Connection with tribe and language crucial to identity perseverance

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

MA’ASINA Ruru is about tribe. In case you don’t understand what the fundamental foundation of Ma’asina Ruru is, it is tribe.

The above statement was made by President of Malaita Ma’asina Forum (MMF), Martin Housanau during an annual general meeting last week.

He had earlier voiced the need to re-strengthen Ma’asina Ruru’s leadership role at the national level, in the communities and even in tribes.

Speaking of tribe, Housanau called on members of the audience who have forgotten their tribes to reconnect with their tribes.

He said their theme “Reconnecting or connecting with the spirit of Ma’asina Ruru” embodies two spirits; the spirit of connecting to their people and the spirit of talking with their tribesmen and women.

Housanau told them that communicating with their tribesmen and tribeswomen is essential in the sense of agreeing upon activities their tribes’ want to carry out.

“This is the flagship of Ma’asina Ruru. Ma’asina Ruru is about tribe. It’s about your tradition and mine. It is about our language”, he said.

Housanau also encouraged them to always stay connected with their tribes even if they are living in the capital.

He added that it has come to a scenario where a number of Solomon Islanders living in Honiara have forgotten their language, more so how to accurately speak their language.

In this regard, Housanau says an indigenous language nowadays is no longer spoken in its purest form and most often families prefer using Pidgin in their homes.

He said this spells out the indication that the social fabric, language, which holds a family or a community together is beginning to wither away.

Housanau emphasized that they must stay connected or reconnect with their tribes in the village because the opposite would mean losing their identity.

1...1,1531,1541,155...1,671Page 1,154 of 1,671