| Education System in Solomon Islands |
Education on the Solomon Islands is not compulsory, despite subsidies from major Oceanic nations, and less than 60% of children enter primary school for a mandatory 6 year period. Of those who do, 72% complete foundation school.
Enrolment at secondary school is discouraging in a country where so many people remain at subsistence level. The gross rate is 32% for boys, but only 27% for girls. The curriculum is academic and takes 7 years to fully complete.
The vast majority of the people are scattered in small villages among the islands. Many earn a subsistence living, where farming and fishing skills are passed down through generations.
Higher education opportunities are provided by the Solomon Islands Teachers College, the Honiara Technical Institute, and a branch of the University of the South Pacific. All three are in the capital city, effectively reducing the academic hopes of poorer tribes people to near-zero.
The newly established University of Honiara provides more hope for them, for it is a distance learning institution with virtual faculties of technology, education and business studies. It has successfully graduated students and is developing credible standards.
