DEAR EDITOR, a Solomon Star article last week revealed some important and fine academic achievements of Solomon Islanders.
Quoting the newspaper the report read:
“There are around 12,000 Solomon Islanders with certificates, diplomas, degrees, masters and PHD’s.
“There are currently at least 4000 students undertaking tertiary studies at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and various other regional tertiary institutions under the Solomon Islands Government sponsorship.”
“Last year government spent almost $290 million on scholarships to ensure the country’s tertiary students get quality training at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and other tertiary institutions abroad.
“The Government wants to see more Solomon Islanders graduate with higher qualifications so they can contribute in a significant way to Solomon Islands nation building efforts.”
In a separate article, also in the Solomon Star, there was a report of the success of several local students who had undertaken Mandarin studies in Taiwan and has become fluent in the language.
To all the Solomon Islands graduates and foreign language speakers I extend my congratulations and express the hope that many more local students will attain high academic qualifications and seek to acquire second language skills.
It might be appropriate to end with the Chinese proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”
Good luck!
Yours sincerely
FRANK SHORT
