Dear Editor – The Central province education authority is very quiet about the only school the province owns.
Semester 1 began 1 of February for all schools in Solomon Islands however this is not the case for Siota PSS. Into weeks 8 of semester1 and it has not started. What is more, the school is at an alarming deteriorating status. What remedial measures the school authorities and the Central province executive has for Siota will always remain an unsolvable phenomenon.
Siota PSS will always and continue to face problems ranging from water shortage, generator and electrical shutdowns to inadequate staff housing and dormitories and to name but few.
The CEO resumed office in time to see that 2016 academic year took off smoothly. The question, however, is whether schools in Central province did start classes at day one of the 2016 academic calendar year?
This questions is raised as the 2016 staff establishments in Central province schools were distorted plus the teacher posting were very late and indeed chaotic as well.
Some teachers were not even posted at all for whatever reasons only those in the education office Tulagi would be answerable. Few teachers who have family health welfare problems were posted without considering their difficulties.
Some teachers cannot travel to their new schools of work because their traveling allowance for 2015-2016 left unpaid. However, affected teachers only have to dig deep into their own pockets to finance their back to school travels, ‘sore wan stret’. Remember Solomon Islands teachers are amongst the world’s lowest paid trained professionals.
It simply showed the Central education office do not understand well their teachers and this is the least one would expect from such a high office especially when teachers invest their trust in these officers to ensure teaching and learning in central province is implemented to meeting the explanations of the Ministry of education and all stakeholders in Solomon islands.
Central province, we are lagging in education compared to our other sister provinces who enjoy the homing of reputable national secondary schools down to some very well administered ECES.
Wakeup officers we need a lot of catching up to do! Learn to understand better your teachers and schools.
Bruce Buloa
Gela
