BY JARED KOLI
The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) will bring home Solomon Islands students completing their studies in Fiji and Vanuatu next month.
MEHRD through the Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority (SITESA) is expected to bring home students from Fiji based universities as well as the few from USP’s Emalus campus in Port Vila, Vanuatu, according to MEHRD Permanent Secretary Dr Franco Rodie.
Island Sun obtained a copy of a spreadsheet containing the names of 124 Fiji -based students that have been listed to travel back in the July flight.
Rodie said that an exact number of graduating students and a specific date for the flight are yet to be confirmed.
He said the students include those that will be completing their studies at the end of semester one, 2021 and those who have decided to complete their semester two studies at home via online mode.
In Fiji, the second wave of Covid 19 has sparked an increase of cases each day, and has affected Solomon Islands students studying there as the country was ‘at war’ with the virus.
A senior student studying at the University of the South Pacific said the government must not treat lightly the second wave of Covid 19 that is currently battling Fiji.
“Compared to last year, it is totally different, life here is hard, (and) the government needs to think seriously and do something about it,” the student said.
He said the current situation affects students on all fronts.
In the meantime, MEHRD will liaise with health authorities to ensure strict measures are followed when repatriating the students to avoid possible transmission and ensure Solomon Islands maintains its Covid 19 – free status.
