Parents in Makira/Ulawa province are being encouraged to give their children the education they rightly deserve as it is the key to make the province a better place.
Education Secretary for the Makira/Ulawa province Education Authority, Henry Rata made the statement during the graduation ceremony of St Stephen Community College Pamua in Central Makira last Friday.
“The impact of investment in education is profound, education results in raising income, improving health, promoting gender equality, mitigating climate change and reducing poverty.
“All these things once addressed, Makira and the country as a whole will be a better place to live in,” Mr Rata said.
“If we provide well for the education of our children now, they will be able to read, write and count well. This will provide them with a better future for their families and the country,” he added.
Mr Rata also highlighted the need to invest in education for girls and women in the province.
“Educating girls and women has benefits not just for themselves, but also for their families, communities and country.
“With a quality education girls and women can make informed decisions, improve their country’s social and economic well-being by promoting the health and welfare of the next generation,” Mr Rata said.
“There is vast evidence suggesting that countries with better gender equality and less gender disparity in primary and secondary education are more likely to have higher economic growth,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Rata urges all schools in the province to cooperate and collaborate with the Makira/Ulawa provincial government as stakeholders in the provision of education services in the province, to work towards quality education for a better tomorrow.
“There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed by respective stakeholders before we can move closer to achieving quality education in Makira/Ulawa province.
“We need to take stock of the type of investment we are giving education now, the government, the communities, parents and teachers and then collaboratively work in addressing the hindering factors,” he said.
Mr Rata assured that the provincial government is committed in improving the quality of education in the province as evident in the $35,000 allocation for education in its 2014 budget.
BY PHILIP LILOMO
In Makira
