BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
SOLOMON Islands National University (SINU) will roll out its ‘second chance’ education programme through its distance flexible learning centre (DFL).
This move poses a significant opportunity for school drop outs to have another go at education.
SINU initiated the idea to assist the Ministry of Education (MERHD) combat growing concerns of the bottleneck system which has and continues to impact many student drop-outs.
According to SINU, being a national tertiary education provider, through DFL they will provide what has been coined by the MEHRD as ‘second-chance education’.
SINU said the second-chance concept will create a pathway for students to pursue qualifications in whatever fields individuals wish to attain.
SINU said the main objective is to leave no one out, and create a pathway that will ensure students continue their training until completed with qualifications of choice.
In implementing the notion, Mr Martin Otto and his devoted staff took a week-long writers workshop for aspiring writers in the country.
This workshop is hosted by the DFL centre and is the second time such programme is organised.
The workshop pools together ideas from the writers in producing units of study to provide an avenue through which the students can upgrade their previous marks, grades and knowledge and skills in the units provided.
The DFL will continue to work with these writers until March next year when all units will be ready for production, which will be piloted in September 2018 for possible recruitment in 2019.
Meanwhile, it is well known that a lot of potential human resources have over the years had their education cut off at grade six, form three and form five, including a few in form six and form seven.
This has contributed to an increase in unemployment, unskilled workers, low standard of living, and rise in criminal activities involving juveniles between ages 13 and 19 years.
MEHRD’s statistics show 90 percent of those who started grade one discontinued their education somewhere along the line due to low exam results, no space in schools and other factors of school administration.
