Dear Editor – Refer to Solomon Star of 15/02/2016 on page 2 on the above subject.
Three points can be extracted from the comments of the Kesao deputy head teacher regarding the death issue.
The points are as follows:
– The Kesao school board only accepts one day off from school during deaths and not two or three days
– Part of customary form of practice to show respect to the families of the dead and Kesao is part of the community
– The practice does not affect the high performance by Kesao primary school as evidenced by 13 students selected to attend national secondary schools this year.
Let me respond to each of the points.
Point one:
As a mother of Kia village and a health worker in the public service, I must be honest to inform the public that the decision made by the school board has been breached so often.
Absenteeism usually takes more than one day or even weeks, because of reasons that the relatives and immediate members of the dead person from outside Kia community to attend the death event, and again not all deaths are from the community. Other deaths are from Honiara or other provinces and to be buried back home.
The school board must be informed as well that the province with the lowest literacy rate is Isabel.
Therefore, the school board must relook at its decisions, otherwise all the future human resources of Kia village will come to have the same brain that looks no further of the impacts of such decision will do. Perhaps the members of the school board is well comprises of illiterate members thus such poor decisions is made and approved.
The current school board to be properly screened and replaced by some productive and active members, and not someone with the same brains that already reach the ceiling or roof.
Again informed the school board of the ‘rights’ of the children to education that now become ‘ACT’ otherwise possible suing will be eventuated.
With that revoke the decision and let the practice before be revived once and once for all to make changes for Kia generation.
-Refer to the statement and the same to be applied to the nurses working in Kia, is right and fair for all public service employees with the regulations or code of conducts that govern our practices? Why not at the beginning correcting the school board’s decision when you are educated enough to assist. This is a dilemma but need to be justified by the public interest that required of your profession.
The health workers also part of the community and if the team took the decision for granted or a practice, I don’t know what will happen.
Well, the practice is an act of unfairness and a kind of free ride in the public service the Kesao primary school teachers ever committed and suppose not to deserve benefits from the Solomon Islands government. Again this is a crime committed and need to put a stop.
According to the chief of Kia community, and families whose loved have died they also raised complains, saying that the release of the students only causes a lot of disturbances and is this, the kind of respect the teachers have expected upon students? Continuing classes for the students will do well for the community.
Then refer the statement as customary form of practice to respect the event, this is contradicting to the practices in year 1980s when I was in the school, absenteeism only applied to the very immediate family members and the rest of the students attended school as usual.
The respect indicated is silence and school outdoor activities were suspended. I think those times will be more relevant to such decisions than the current decision emphasized when Christian mentality is not that strong that time.
The decision is a total misleading for those teachers that have imposed and agreed to the decision.
Point three
-In response to your well highlighted score of students in the national secondary school with13 students, I on behalf of the complain community of Kia, declare to the public of the ever disappointing year 2015 for the standard six students, the parents or guidance and the whole population of Kia village of the broad daylight alleged ‘cheating’ that was unfortunately taken place during the examination in Kesao primary school.
I wonder where was the invigilator that time and why is that teacher given a chance to enter the class. Is this a form of bribe or corruption? The education authorities therefore asked, to make an immediate investigation upon this crime and penalize the culprits accordingly.
The students expressed that, children of the teachers were also sitting the examination and that is very clear and correlates the action.
Please bear in mind, the issue are now opening its door way to further investigation. As a mother and a public employee of Solomon Islands, I will never put the issue to an ease or rest until the truth will prevail.
Questionnaires will be formulated and issued to the 2015 standard six students to get their views. Complied reports will be issued to the education office in Isabel province and the national level in Honiara.
Therefore, I appeal to the responsible authorities in the education office for such crime committed to be dealt seriously, upon those teachers involved, and call for an immediate re-sit of the examination to the students that have selected to the secondary schools.
This is, to avoid burdens upon the students on subjects that are not in their capabilities. Again the students are also committing a crime that they don’t realize. I remember, the similar incidents as this also occurred in 1988 in the old Selwyn college and the students who had involved re-sit the examination, and why not the victims do the same.
This is a shame and the only action carried out, by the Kesao primary school teachers, in order to conceal their failures in an attempt to acquire good names from the education office, which is a mask to a face upon the teachers of Kesao primary school.
Roselyn Dika
CHCN/Kia AHC
