Country Profile: Solomon Islands

Geography

Area	total: 28,896 sq km (11,599 sq. mi.) land: 27,986 sq km water: 910 sq km
Capital	Honiara
Largest city (2007)	Honiara (on Guadalcanal) 66,000
Other large cities (2006)	Gizo (6,300) in the New Georgia Islands, Auki (4,400) on Malaita, Buala (2,700) on Santa Isabel, Tulagi (1,500) on Nggela Sule, Kirakira (1,100) on Makira, Lata on Ndeni in the Santa Cruz Islands
Climate	Tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather. Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Time Difference	UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

People

Nationality	noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander
Population	559,198 (CIA, July 2010 est.) or 535,700 or 531,000 (2010)
Annual population growth rate (2010 est.)	2.27%
Age Structure (2010 est.)	0-14 years: 39.5% (male 119,875/female 115,127) 15-64 years: 57.1% (male 171,792/female 168,023) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 9,849/female 10,947)
Urbanization	urban population: 18% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Ethnic groups (1999 census)	Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2%
Languages	Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages
Religion (1999 census)	Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2%
Life expectancy (2010 est.)	total population: 73.94 years male: 71.37 years female: 76.63 years
Infant mortality rate (2010 est.)	total: 18.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.74 deaths/1,000 live births

Government

Government type	parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Head of State	Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General, HE Sir Frank Ofagioro Kabui Head of Government: Prime Minister The Hon Danny Philip
Independence	7 July 1978 (from the UK)
Constitution	7 July 1978
Legal system	English common law, which is widely disregarded; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal
Administrative divisions	9 provinces and 1 capital territory: Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

Education

Literacy (age 15 and over can read & write) (2003)	Adult literacy--76.6%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) (2006)	total: 9 years male: 9 years female: 9 years
Years compulsory	not compulsory
Primary to secondary transition rate (2002)	70%
Female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) - Tertiary Education as a % for School year	106
Male Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) - Tertiary Education as a % for School year	109
Education expenditure (1999)	2.2% of GDP
Distribution(%) of public expenditure per level (2010)	N/A
Researchers per 1,000,000 inhabitants (FTE)	N/A
Expenditure on R&D as a % of GDP	N/A
Percentage distribution of gross domestic expenditure on research and development by source	N/A

ICT

Telephones - main lines in use (2008)	8,000
Telephones - mobile cellular (2008)	30,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (2009)	5.73
Broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants	Fixed 0.38
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: mobile-cellular telephone density is about 5 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
International dialling code	+677
Internet domain	.sb
Internet hosts (2010)	4,065
Internet users (2008)	10,000
Internet users per 100 inhabitants (2009)	1.91
Computers per 100 inhabitants	N/A
TV sets per 100 people	N/A

Overview

The Solomon Islands is an independent commonwealth country situated approximately 2,000 kilometres north east of Australia. It is comprised of approximately 1,000 islands that have a total land surface area of approximately 29,000 square kilometres and are home to nearly 600,000 people.

The Solomon Islands lie adjacent to the plate boundaries of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. With active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis, it is a very active geological area and frequent deaths result from the effects of large scale geological events.

With independence being declared in 1978, the Solomon Islands are a relatively new nation and, as a consequence, it is still in the process of establishing political and economic stability. Since independence, there has been frequent political strife with allegations of corruption, coercion, frequent votes of no-confidence in leaders and constantly changing governments and political alliances. The economy has been very fragile, relying heavily on the export of timber, which grows abundantly on the volcanic mountainsides.

Solomon Islands is governed through a 50 member unicameral parliament. The Head of State is Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor General, and the head of government is the elected Prime Minister. Due to escalating political strife and the government’s inability to maintain control between rival racial groups, a national governmental request was made to neighbouring nations for assistance. As a result, an international peace-keeping force, led primarily by Australia, of over 2000 trained personnel were sent to the nation in 2003 under the name ‘Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI)’, with a long-term mission to achieve and maintain peace, stability and economic recovery for the nation.

Melanesian pidjin is the language for general communication among the 120 indigenous languages spoke. English is the official language, but in name only, as it is little used outside official circles. Solomon Islands embraced Christianity following missionary involvement in the 18^th and 19^th centuries with the Church of Melanesia, Roman Catholic, South Seas Evangelical and Seventh Day Adventist churches now all well represented.

Brief History

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Solomon Islands were first inhabited around 3,000 years ago, possibly by Neolithic Austronesian-speaking peoples. Later, the Polynesians arrived and over time the groups intermixed. The first European contact was in 1568 by Spanish explorers. During the 17^th and 18^th centuries, missionaries and settlers from Europe began arriving. In the later part of the 19^th century, European powers took ownership of the islands, first Germany and then in 1885, Britain. During World War I, the islands were occupied by Australian troops. During World War II, the Battle for Guadalcanal was one of the longest and most intense of the war, with around 30,000 Japanese and U.S. troops being killed. Following the war, Solomon Islands remained a British Protectorate until independence in 1978.

The period since independence has been marred by almost continual political unrest, fuelled by racial tensions. The main racial groups represented are Melanesian, Polynesian, Micronesian, Chinese and European. There are 63 separate languages spoken, reflecting the depth of the cultural and racial diversity. Prior to European settlement, these groups were at continual war with each other so that raiding and warring was a way of life. Missionary provision of basic education and medical care led to gradual conversion to Christianity. However, the inculcated values of battle honour and bravery in the peoples translated into acts of great bravery by individuals during the Battle for Guadalcanal. Local inhabitants fought alongside Allied troops to stave off the attempted Japanese invasion between 1941 and 1943.

The RAMSI initiative has brought peace to the Solomon Islands as the nation seeks to rebuild its capacity for government and economic management and development.

Governance

The country is governed by a unicameral National Parliament consisting of 50 elected members. Terms are for four years. The Prime Minister is elected by Parliament and chooses a cabinet to assist in the governance of the country. All adults over the age of 21 years are entitled to vote in general and regional elections.

There are nine separate provinces and the Capital Territory that are the local government structures for dealing with local issues. Only persons holding citizenship in the Solomon Islands may own land, which adds additional strain on inter-race relations.

Education System

The Solomon Islands education system consists of the following stages: Early Childhood Education (ECE) for ages 3–5, Primary Education for ages 6–11 (Years 1–6), Secondary Education for ages 12–18 (Forms 1–7); and Higher Education for adults over the age of 18. As elsewhere in the Pacific, these age limits are approximate. Many children remain in ECE beyond 5 years of age. Others begin ECE when they are older than 5, and some children begin primary education at seven years of age.

Education in the Solomon Islands was disrupted by civil turmoil between 1998–2003 and the tsunami in 2007. Despite extensive reconstruction, the education system fails to meet the needs of the country’s young people. Although primary education is free, school attendance is not compulsory, with the result that only 60% of students attend primary school. Adult literacy rates are around 75% and may be linked to poor school attendance issues.

Annual school fees, the costs of uniforms, bus fares and textbooks are a significant barrier to participation in secondary education by the children of poor families. Secondary school entry is also highly competitive. Places are allocated on the basis of performance in end of year examinations, with fewer and fewer places available at each level of secondary schooling. In consequence, very few students are able to complete the full seven years of secondary study.

Even for these students, outcomes are often poor. The education system suffers from a lack of qualified teachers, overcrowded classrooms, poor facilities, a shortage of basic teaching materials and an inadequate supply of textbooks. Half of all primary teachers in the Solomon Islands are unqualified or uncertified. Less than half the schools in the country provide safe drinking water and have adequate sanitation.

Language policy is another cause of concern. The language of instruction in all Solomon Island schools is English, although only a small proportion of the population in rural areas or on remote islands is competent in this language.

a) School education

Pre-Primary Level

Community-based and privately-run preschools have existed in the Solomon Islands for many years. In 2006, there were 455 early childhood centres in the country. Facilities in the community-based and private preschools are often poor and many lack safe water supplies or adequate sanitation.

Primary Level

Primary education extends from grades 1-6. Around 60% of students in this age range actually attend primary school. Evidence suggests that lack of provision of resources by the government has caused a shortage of schools, equipment, trained teachers and even inability to pay teachers at times.

In 2005, there were 537 primary schools in the Solomon Islands. The proportion of government-run and church-managed schools is uncertain.

Secondary Level

Only approximately 17% of students in the secondary age-group are enrolled in a school. There are three categories of secondary schools in the Solomon Islands:

National Secondary Schools (NSS). These are boarding schools run by the Solomon Islands Government or church authorities that take students from across the country.
Provincial Secondary Schools (PSS). These are schools managed by the Provincial Governments. Their students are restricted to the provinces only.
Community High Schools (CHS). These are secondary schools that began as primary schools, but were later expanded to provide secondary classes. These schools are built and managed by communities, with the assistance of the church authorities or the Provinces.

In 2005, there were 10 National Secondary Schools, 15 Provincial Secondary Schools and 111 Community High Schools. More recent figures are not available.

Non-Government Schools

Non-government schools exist in the Solomon Islands but details are unclear in the literature. The Seventh Day Adventist Church operates a total of four schools, two secondary and two vocational in nature.

Church-run primary and secondary schools are an essential part of the Solomon Islands education system. Many of these schools receive financial support from the Solomon Islands Government. There are schools managed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Melanesia, the Uniting Church, the South Seas Evangelical Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

b) Vocational education and training (VET)

There are two post-secondary education providers. The Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament and is the main state supported tertiary institution in the Solomon Islands. It offers both vocational and tertiary courses. Areas include: nursing, teacher training, fisheries, secretarial studies, forestry and agriculture. It is the largest TVET provider in the Solomon Islands. SICHE has seven schools: (i) Industrial Development, (ii) Natural Resources, (iii) Finance and Administration, (iv) Humanities, Science and Media, (v) Nursing and Health Studies, (vi) Education and (vii) Marine and Fisheries. The College has five campuses: three are in eastern Honiara and one each in the Western Province and Malaita Province. The 2011 enrolment is 1,077 students.

SICHE offers 42 different programs at a range of levels: Certificate, Advanced Certificate, Diploma, Graduate Diploma and Advanced Diploma. Courses include plumbing, electrical trades, marine engineering, building, tropical agriculture, tourism, business studies, finance, journalism, nursing, midwifery, teaching, maritime safety, fisheries and seamanship. In addition, SICHE provides short courses in subjects such as chainsaw overhaul, tiling, grading, painting and using MYOB. The School of Marine and Fisheries Studies also offers Class 4 Master, Class 5 Master and Class 6 Master/Engineer training.

SICHE is not the only TVET provider in the Solomon Islands. The Catholic Church has a Seminary and a Rural Teacher Training College. Church groups, NGOs and community-based organisations provide TVET through Community-Based Training Centres (CBTCs) and Rural Training Centres (RTCs) in rural and remote areas of the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands Association of Rural Training Centres (SIARTC) represents 34 RTCs across the country. Courses delivered at local centres include literacy, agriculture, carpentry, building, mechanics, home economics, bookkeeping, business skills and life skills. The Solomon Island Government provides funding to meet teachers’ salaries for RTCs.

c) Higher education

The University of the South Pacific (USP), in which Solomon Islands is a regional partner, operates a campus in Honiara, the nation’s capital. The main campus is based in Suva, Fiji and offers a range of distance education courses. USP enrolments in the Solomon Islands were 741 EFTS in 2008.

The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) also has a campus on Honiara. The UPNG Open Campus on Honiara shares facilities with SICHE. In addition to the Honiara Open Campus, the UPNG has set up four sub-centres in the provinces.

Historical Overview of Distance Education

Until recently, USP and SICHE were the major distance education providers in the Solomons. The USP has been in the country since the early 1970s. The USP’s Campus on Guadalcanal provides local USP students with access to video broadcast courses, online learning materials and teleconferencing facilities (both video and audio). This access has been greatly enhanced since the USPNet upgrade in 2006.

SICHE has offered distance education courses since the mid 1990s. SICHE offers a number of distance education-based bridging courses targeting students pushed out of the secondary system due to the shortage of places. NZAid is working with SICHE to convert a number of existing mainstream vocational courses to distance education mode.

UPNG is a recent entrant to the distance education marketplace. The UPNG Open Campus in Honiara was only established in 2009. The UPNG opened its Open Campus in the Solomon Islands in order to tap into unmet demand for distance programs in the country. Although the recent progress of the UPNG initiative in the Solomons is unclear, media reports indicate that the opening of the UPNG Campus in Honiara has adversely affected the demand for courses offered through USP Solomon Islands.

Administration and Finance

Unknown.

Higher Education Reforms

Reform of higher education in the Solomon Islands is largely dependent on the direction of policies set elsewhere. For example, overseas scholarship training opportunities (opportunity lists) are determined by the availability of scholarships rather than by any predetermined needs of the economy of the country and this is being addressed by the Ministry OF Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD).

Future Direction of Tertiary Education

At present, the future of tertiary education in the Solomons is uncertain. Many young Solomon Islanders prefer to study overseas, particularly in New Zealand. The preference for overseas study and continued population decline threaten to undermine the longer-term viability of the small tertiary education sector in the country.

Information and Communications Technology Initiatives

a) Information society strategy

Telecommunications in the Solomon Islands lag behind most other Pacific states and are among the most expensive in the world. Internet access is poor and expensive. These deficiencies are largely the result of the monopoly exercised by Solomons Telekom—the local telecommunications provider. At the end of 2009, the first step towards deregulation occurred when PNG Telikom’s beMOBILE was granted a license to provide mobile phone services. Since then, mobile phone coverage in the Solomon Islands has expanded dramatically. In 2011, the Solomons Island Government announced that it would issue licences allowing local businesses to provide Internet access. The Government’s goal is to encourage local entrepreneurs to offer small-scale Internet services based on a satellite earth stations. The feasibility of such an approach is uncertain. Until better Internet access is available, the prospects for successful ICT-based distance education are poor.

b) Major e-learning initiatives

The Solomon Islands is part of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Oceania initiative. In 2008, a trial deployment of XO laptops occurred in three schools in Western Province. This was followed up by a full deployment in 2009. The project was evaluated by the Australian Council of Education Research (ACER) in a report published in 2010. The project was considered a success, yielding important lessons for future OLPC initiatives.

c) Benchmarking e-learning

None identified.

d) Support for OER

The Solomon Islands is a member of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC). As a VUSSC member, the Solomon Islands Government participates in the development of open educational resources. Representatives from the Solomon Islands have attended regional workshops and meetings in relation to VUSSC and other related initiatives. The Solomon Islands Government hosted a Learning4Content (L4C) workshop in 2008.

e) Government entities

Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development

f) Associations and networks

Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE)

g) Distance Education journals

None identified.

Interesting Distance Education Initiatives

The Solomon People First Network (PFnet) initiative began in 2000. PFnet was intended to provide email access to people in the remote parts of the Solomons. Ultimately, PFnet made use of HF radio and a network of solar-powered modems in remote areas. PFnet received funding and technical support from a host of development agencies, as well as from the governments of Britain, Japan and Taiwan and the European Union (EU). In 2002, PFnet was involved in distance learning trials with the University of the South Pacific (USP) Honiara Centre. These trials led to the Distance Learning Centre Project (DLCP), funded by the EU and NZAid. As part of this project, a pilot Distance Learning Centre was established in each of the nine provinces in the Solomons. The Centres were attached to rural community high schools. Each Centre had a full-time manager and a small computer lab of six machines, providing local students with access to DE programs through a satellite ground station (VSAT). The courses delivered through DLCP included a range of short courses on vocational topics. In 2003, PFNet and UNDP partnered a stakeholder consultation process intended to develop a national ICT strategy for the Solomon Islands. Despite the enormous amount of energy devoted to PFNet and related initiatives, many of the results were ultimately disappointing. The national ICT strategy for the Solomon Islands never eventuated. The DLCP project appears to have lapsed. In 2010, the Solomon Islands Government withdrew its financial support for PFnet.

One of the lessons learnt from PFnet that it is hard for small-scale projects to build momentum. When project reach is limited, it is difficult to demonstrate project value to national governments and aid agencies. It is harder still to achieve a broad base of community support. Without these essential ingredients, even the best intentioned projects can fail.

Quality Assurance

Secretariat of the Pacific Board of Education Assessment (SPBEA)

The USP has a longer history of dealing with quality assurance issues. It has its own formal Quality Strategy and Quality Assurance Framework. The USP is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).The USP has also benefited from its ties with other international quality assurance agencies, including the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) and the New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit (NZUAAU).

The Transnational Qualifications Framework (TQF) for International Accreditation for the Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth (TQF for VUSSC:Procedures and Guidelines) was formally launched in April 2010. It is heralded the introduction of probably the most international, collaborative system for capacity building, skills development and greater access to quality-assured qualifications. Since the VUSSC is not an accrediting or awarding body, the institutions that offer the courses must accredit them locally. The aim of a TQF should be to ensure that all the open educational resources that are being created collaboratively can be adapted into recognised courses that students can take for credit through the recognized institutions of the small states. The TQF is to act as a translation point for modules/units and qualifications between countries. An additional benefit of the TQF may be to discourage bogus providers, which are particularly active in trying to sell fake qualifications in the small states.

Regulatory and Policy Framework

The requirement for all foreign investments to be approved by the Solomon Islands Government allows the exercise of some control over the establishment of new tertiary institutions in the country. In 2008, the Solomon Islands Government rejected an application to establish an institution to be called The University of Honiara. The proposal was rejected on the grounds that the institution was unaccredited.

a) International regulatory and policy frameworks

Education for All (EFA)

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

United Nations Literacy Decade

UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Education

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)

b) Regional agreements

The Solomon Islands is a member of the multi-nation USP consortium.

USP Strategic Plan 2010-2012

Pacific Islands Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP)

Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) Project

Pacific Education for Sustainable Development Framework

Pacific Education Development Framework (PEDF) 2009-2015

The Pacific Plan (the Pacific Plan Task Force is managed by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General)

Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC)

c) National regulations and policy

Education Act (1978)

Foreign Investment Act (2005)

Solomon Islands College of Higher Education Act (1984)

Solomon Islands National Education Action Plan 2007 - 2009

Solomon Islands Government Education Strategic Framework 2007 – 2015

Teacher education and development policy statement

Education for living: draft policy on technical, vocational education and training (2004)

Policy statement and guidelines for tertiary education in Solomon Islands (2009)

National Education Action Plan 2010-2012

MEHRD, Policy statement and guidelines for the Tertiary Education in Solomon Islands, February 2010

d) State/District regulations and policy

None.

e) University policies

The Solomon Islands is one of twelve Pacific island states that jointly own the University of the South Pacific. As one of the larger member-states and a financial contributor to the USP budget, the Solomon Islands are likely to have some influence over the direction of the University’s policy.