BY MORRIS NAFU
Opposition Leader Matthew Wale has criticised the government’s handling of education costs, claiming that excessive school fees are effectively barring families from sending their children to school.
Wale made the statement when contributing to the Sine Die Motion in parliament on Monday.
He argued that the rising expenses across all levels of the education system—early childhood education (ECE), primary, secondary, technical vocational education and training (TVET), and the Solomon Islands National University (SINU)—are unsustainable and demand immediate reform.
“The cost of education is becoming too expensive at all levels of our education system.
“This is something that is directly under the control of the Government, but somehow has slipped. ECE, Primary, Secondary, TVET and SINU are all expensive,” said Wale.
He stressed that it is as if school fees are set to prohibit families from sending their kids to school.
“School fees are higher than annual income of parents, and in some cases more than double the annual income,” Wale added.
He also questioned how long this situation will continue.
Wale urges the government to make education free, or at the very least, reduce fees to a reasonable percentage of per capita annual income.
He pointed out that while the Government National Unity Team (GNUT) has the authority to address this, inaction has allowed the crisis to persist.
The Opposition Leader also highlighted housing as another pressing issue, accusing the government of neglecting a comprehensive policy response.
He described urban centers as exhibiting stark class divides, with rents far beyond the affordability of many Solomon Islanders.
“Housing is the other critical area requiring strong and clear comprehensive policy response.
“The current policy position is to neglect it; the result is the high rent that is beyond the affordability of many Solomon Islands.
“Urban centres are showing clear class divide when it comes to housing. Bank lending, government incentives, land availability and values, infrastructure and access to public utilities are important sector but neglect cannot be an option,” Wale said.
On the economic front, Wale acknowledged the government’s identification of growth potential in sectors like minerals, tourism, fisheries, agriculture, infrastructure development, telecommunication, aviation, and commerce.
However, he criticized the lack of decisive action to unlock these opportunities.
“It is one thing to identify these growth sectors, but it is quite another to realise their true potential.
“It is the role of government policy to unlock that potential, both fiscal and other policy,” he said.
“This is where there is clear lethargy the government cannot do everything and that is certainly not what I am saying, however Government is the key player in enabling other players to do their potential,” said Wale.
Wale specifically targeted the 2026 budget, claiming it lacks transformative initiatives.
To address this, he proposed a bold allocation.
“To unlock the potential in these sectors, the government needs the will to set aside three billion dollars per year for the next three years, allocated targeted initiatives,” he said.
Wale’s remarks come amid growing public discontent over living costs in the Solomon Islands, with education and housing emerging as key battlegrounds in political discourse.
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