BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
FORMER Chief Education Officer of Western Province has called on education providers within the province to urgently review and strengthen the academic performance of schools.
Provincial Member of Assembly for Ward 10, Freedom Tozaka, said every secondary school in Western Province must place greater emphasis on academic excellence to improve overall education outcomes.
“Only one secondary school in Western Province was listed among the top 10 secondary schools in 2025. This is encouraging, but we can do much better,” he said.
Tozaka said improving school performance should be a collective effort, involving school leaders, the Western Provincial Government, education providers and other key stakeholders working together with a shared commitment.
He said there should be an Education Conference in Western Province to discuss effective strategies for improving the delivery of education services.
“I am calling for an urgent Education Conference for all key stakeholders in Western Province, to be held no later than June 2026,” Tozaka said.
He said Western Provincial Government to allocate funds and include the conference in its budget, adding that the event should bring together education providers, school leaders, community leaders, business representatives and other resourceful individuals.
“This conference will provide an opportunity for every actor to review current practices and identify ways to strengthen academic performance across all schools in the province,” Tozaka said.
He said such a coordinated approach would help establish effective strategies and lay a strong foundation for schools to deliver quality education services throughout Western Province.

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Several police officers providing security at the Gold Ridge mining site in Central Guadalcanal have been suspended following allegations of stealing gold ore, according to sources within the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).

The officers, who were part of a security operation at the mine, are accused of collecting high-grade mineral soil in bags of rice and later panning the soil for gold and selling it for personal gain after their shifts.

A landowner and miner from Bita village, Aldrin Smith, told Island Sun last week that alleged misconduct by police officers was one of the contributing factors that led to the burning of machinery and equipment at the Gold Ridge mining site on Tuesday, January 20.

Mr Smith said landowners were often treated harshly during security operations, creating fear and anger within the community.

“They chased us badly, and we were afraid to return to work the next day, even though mining is how we earn money. When they chased us, they took our bags of high mineral soil and kept them for themselves, leaving us with nothing when we went home,” he said.

Mr Smith alleged that the practice has been ongoing and that seized mineral soil was not returned to the company, but instead taken by officers for personal benefit.

A senior source within the RSIPF National Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) confirmed that the allegations had been investigated, and officers found involved have been suspended.

“The NCID was aware of these concerns. There is serious concern about how police officers handle these soil samples and lost in their hands. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated,” the spokesman said.

He said the suspensions followed collaborative investigations involving NCID officers and personnel on the ground, adding that the matter was treated with urgency due to its seriousness.

“This is a concern for both the police and the public. We must deal with such behaviour firmly to maintain discipline and public trust,” he said.

Police officers deployed to the Gold Ridge security operation include members from the Police Response Team (PRT), Central Response Unit (CRU), Central Police Station, frontline units, Henderson Police Station, Kukum Traffic Station, and White River Police Station.

The spokesman said that investigations into the matter are ongoing.

BY RODRICK DESURI
Auki
The ongoing bad weather has affected Goshen Enterprise, a leading business on Malaita province.
The weather is affecting the full series of operational, marketing, and support activities of Goshen Enterprise, which performs the tasks of designing, producing, marketing, delivering, and supporting its products or services.
Goshen Enterprise is a locally owned business that involves buying taro from rural communities and exporting it to other Pacific countries.
Owner and Managing Director, Levite Luciano Maesimae said the weather has disrupted and affected his value chain.
He said most affected part was product distribution to valued customers in Honiara.
He said he is looking for possible paths to ensure that the value chain is activated smoothly, though the weather is not stable.
“Yes, the current weather is disturbing and affecting our value chain. The most affected part is the distribution of our products to our valued customers,” he said.
“However, I was thinking of having a discussion with the shipping companies to support our value chain,” he said.

BY SYLVANA TEKUMAHA

The Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority (SITESA) and National Scholarship Divisions (NSD) under the Ministry of Education and Human Resources (MEHRD) indicated that the list of Scholarship Awardees will be released this week.

In an email with Island Sun yesterday [Jan 27], Permanent Secretary for MEHRD Dr Franco Rodie said the list of awardees is expected this week but will not disclose the actual date as of yet.
The Solomon Islands Government (SIG) is offering 1,445 scholarships aimed at building qualifications and skills in critical workforce shortage areas.
According to the SITESA Board, 88 percent of the scholarships will be delivered in-country, primarily through the Solomon Islands National University (SINU), while 12 percent will support overseas study in specialised fields such as health and maritime.
The Solomon Islands Government Scholarship for 2026 opened on July 14, 2025 and closed in September 14, 2025.
SITESA is responsible for the promotion, planning, capacity development and coordination of tertiary education and skills sector and ensuring our country has high quality and internationally respected tertiary system.

BY RODRICK DESURI
Auki

Leaders of the Bira Community, Malaita province, have refuted reports that sign posts at the newly opened bridge in Bira have been vandalised.
This follows a report from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) on Monday that sign posts at the bridges in Bira and Su’u, Malaita province, had been vandalised just days after the bridges were open for public use.
The bridges were opened on Friday last week.
Bira Community Elder Ishmael Bunimarau told Island Sun yesterday that the sign posts at the Bira bridge are ‘safe and well secured’.
“Here at Bira, we don’t see people damaging and removing those signages. Those signages are 100 percent safe as of today,” he said.
“We have community leaders that we have worked with to guide and protect these signages. The vandalism might have occurred at Su’u, but we don’t know,” he said.
He said the Bira community and its leaders know the significance and importance of the new bridge at Bira and are committed to taking ownership of the infrastructure and looking after it.
He said that such developments are what people want in the rural communities.
He also urged authorities to verify and assess properly such claims before announcing them in the media.
MID could not comment when sought yesterday.

Newly opened bridges on Su’u and Bira, Malaita province, vandalised within days. MID urge community leaders to lead

BY JUNELYN KELLY

Newly opened bridges in West Kwaio, Malaita province, have been vandalised just few days after being opened for public use, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) has reported.
Bridges on Su’u and Bira were declared complete by the Solomon Islands Roads and Aviation Project (SIRAP2) on Friday last week.
The Bira bridge completed on January 12, and the one in Su’u completed on Jan 17, SIRAP2 said.
Official handover was expected for a later date, awaiting completion of other bridges on Malaita under the SIRAP2 project in Kofele 1 and 2.
However, yesterday [Jan 26] MID announced that signposts for the Bira and Su’u bridges have been either removed, defaced or damaged.
MID condemned this, explaining that the signposts were important:
“Safety first. These signages are there to save lives by alerting drivers to what’s ahead.
“Massive investment. The government and development partners invested millions to upgrade these bridges for our benefit.
“Future impact. This kind of criminal behavior is a major setback. It sends a negative message and could jeopardize future infrastructure projects for Malaita Province,” MID said.
MID appealed to leaders in these two communities to talk to their people not to vandalise public amenities and facilities.
“Community leaders, please talk to your people about respecting these road assets. Report any vandalism or theft to Auki police.
“We must take pride in our infrastructure and protect these features.
“These bridges are part of the SIRAP2 project, a partnership between the World Bank and the government, and belong to the communities both West Kwaio and Are’are. Let’s keep them safe and intact for road users,” MID said.

BY ALICE CAMPBELL
The Policy Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (PIMEU) in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPMC) is carrying out a policy alignment workshop with all permanent secretaries.
The workshop will run for one week, a statement by the Government Communications Unit (GCU) yesterday [Jan 26] said.
The theme of the workshop is ‘aligning the NDS 2016- 2035 with GNUT’s 100-day programme’, the GCU statement said.
The workshop will set the basis for the on-going consultation between PIMEU and government ministries in the implementation of government policies and programmes.
Giving the keynote, Acting Prime Minister Frederick Kologeto urged responsible officers to pay attention to the five recommendations of the Medium-Term Review Report (MTR) which was released last year.
Kologeto said, “These recommendations show vividly the constraints and challenges line ministries encountered in their performances that require beefing up.”
He highlighted that the report pointed out significant barriers that hampered progress in the areas of health and education, land reform, governance and compliances in the extractive industry to name a few, the GCU statement said.
“I hope this workshop would assist all participants to the need to focus our attention to drawing up proper policy matrix for Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) to achieve the desired results and outcomes and subsequently improve the livelihoods of our beloved country,” Kologeto said.

BY RODRICK DESURI
Auki

Community leaders and concerned individuals in West Kwaio, Malaita Province are saddened to hear about the vandalism of the Su’u and Bira bridges’ sign posts.
Sign posts on the bridges in Su’u and Bira were vandalised just days after they were opened for public use Friday last week, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) has reported.
The community leaders of West Kwaio say these actions were carried out by some individuals and do not reflect the communities of West Kwaio.
In an interview with Island Sun Auki yesterday, Phlince Mauniala, a community leader from Maoa, said this news victimises the whole of West Kwaio.
“We have fallen victim when people comment and put the blame on us, the West Kwaio people, while only two or three uncivilised individuals are doing this,” Mauniala said.
Mauniala said this ‘gives a bad reputation to the people of West Kwaio, who have struggled to develop their communities’.
He said they will be working together with community and church leaders at Su’u and Bira to bring those responsible before the law.
“We’ll look at it and make sure that those involved in damaging and removing these sign stands are arrested and charged,” he said.
MID posted on its facebook page yesterday the vandalism of sign posts on the two bridges.
“It was deeply disheartening to receive the report that the newly opened Su’u and Bira bridges in West Kwaio, Malaita Province have fallen victim to vandalism,” it said.
“We should have taken pride in our infrastructure and protected these features.”
The bridges are part of the Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project II, a partnership between the World Bank and the national government.
Communities in both West Kwaio and West Are’are in Malaita should have ownership of them, MID said.

BY RODRICK DESURI
Auki
Catholic Archbishop Christopher Cardone OP is calling on all Christian leaders in the country to work together to spread the word of God.
He made this call during the ordination of the new Bishop of Auki Diocese on Saturday, January 24, at Fasitoro Catholic Cathedral, Auki.
He said that on every occasion when he visited and toured, he always recalled when he first came to the Solomon Islands as Bishop of Auki Diocese and was invited by Anglican Bishop Terry Brown to one of their occasions.
“I was very happy when I first came and became the first bishop for Auki Diocese, when my beloved brother, the late Terry Brown, on behalf of the Anglican Community, gave me the cross that I am still holding onto until this time,” he said.
“Every time I toured and visited different places, especially ordinations like this, our brothers and sisters from the Anglican community are with us. They celebrate and participate with us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cardone said he hopes that they continue with the spirit that exists in the Solomon Islands among all the different Christian communities.
He added that through this journey, the Catholic Church will lead the way to preach the good news of the Gospel.

BY MORRIS NAFU

The premier of Western province Billy Veo has pledged his government’s support for the Agriculture Investment for Markets and Nutrition (AIM-N) Project.

Mr Veo uttered this during a courtesy call made to him by the AIM-N project team on Friday last week.

AIM-N project is visiting the governments of Western, Choiseul and Isabel provinces reinforcing provincial partnership ahead of the project’s implementation, a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) yesterday said.

AIM-N Project Manager Samantha Maeke briefed the Premier and his Deputy Secretary on the project’s objectives, scope, and rollout plan, emphasising the importance of provincial leadership, coordination, and alignment with development priorities.

“This project will only succeed through strong provincial ownership. Our goal is to work side-by-side with Western Province to deliver real impact for farmers, families, and communities,” Ms Maeke said.

The courtesy call aimed to formally introduce AIM-N at the leadership level, clarify roles between MAL, the AIM-N Project Implementation Unit (PIU), and the Provincial Government, secure provincial endorsement, and establish coordination arrangements ahead of PIU staff deployment, the MAL statement said.

Premier Veo welcomed the delegation and pledged his government’s support to the project, the statement said.

“Western Province is fully committed to working with the AIM-N Project. We are ready to partner closely to ensure this program delivers meaningful benefits to our people,” Veo said.

While in Gizo the MAL and AIM-N delegation also had briefings with the provincial agriculture and extension staff at the MAL Extension Office. The team was received by Chief Field Officer Sipuru Rove, who praised the initiative.

“This project has the potential to transform agriculture in Western Province. It will strengthen extension services, empower farmers, and improve livelihoods across our communities,” Mr Rove said.

Director of Agriculture Extension Andrew Melanolu highlighted the critical role of frontline officers.

“Our extension officers are the backbone of agricultural development. AIM-N will strengthen their capacity and ensure farmers receive practical, timely, and effective support,” he said.

The AIM-N Project focuses on boosting agricultural productivity, strengthening market access, improving nutrition outcomes, empowering women, and increasing incomes for rural households across Solomon Islands.