Recently, READ SI Director, Joyce Boykin, and members of Rotaract, a youth service NGO, met to discuss surveying settlements to see how many children are not in school.
Along with the numbers of children who are out of school, the team will find out the reasons why this is happening.
Mrs Boykin has been aware of many, many children in Honiara not receiving an education.
This is a heart breaker so anyone who loves learning and believes that education is a human right.
The youth members of Rotaract responded to being a part of this program whole-heartedly.
Many of the members live near settlements and are also aware of the number of children who play all day and are not learning skills to prepare them for jobs in the future.
Teams will go into settlements around the third week of October and talk to parents and children. Seven settlements have been selected for this survey.
After the analysis of the data, this will be presented to MEHRD. Recently, it was stated by the PS that all children are entitled to be educated.
These out of school children could be in school by next year, if we are committed to doing that. One idea is to set up community learning centers in churches or to build simple structures where classes could be given freely.
The time would be for only a few hours per day.
Literacy trainers could teach basic literacy, numeracy, basic oral English and Virtues. READ SI has materials that could be used at the learning centers.
LASI has materials that could be purchased and used at the centers, also.
This is a conversation that needs to be between MEHRD, READ SI and Rotaract once the data analysis of the surveys is completed.
Inclusive education is a policy which states that all children must be included in the educational system of Solomon Islands.
Working together, parents, NGOs, MEHRD and SIG can make that a reality, at least in Honiara.
–READSI PRESS
