PRINCIPAL of Faufanea community high school (FCHS), Malaita Provincial has assured parents that academic standards students receive in rural community schools are of equal footing to that received by students at urban schools.
The principal, Michael Booboo Ma’akalo made this assurance in an effort to convince parents who hold conflicting views on the level of education between rural and urban setting schools.
Mr Ma’akalo pointed out that it is incorrect to assume urban setting schools provide a higher academic learning environment than rural community schools.
Mr. Ma’akalo warned parents against misconceived perception about the academic standards differences between urban and rural schools saying every one of them adopt and use a unified teaching syllabus manual so there is no difference.
Speaking to the Solomon Star Mr Ma’akalo said he was highlighting this point in view of mass transfers of form one students from Faumanu community high school to town or urban schools in anticipation perception they get a better education there from that of a village school.
He said this is a wrong illusive mentality which must not be entertained.
He said all schools in Solomon Islands whether primary or secondary are taught according to the same syllabus, hence learning is just the same for urban and rural area schools.
He further stated that schools in the village are cheaper for home-based parents to afford, compared to schools in town, where children attending classes would required expenses for transport such as bus fares and food snacks every day.
Mr Ma’akalo said these daily additional costs are often a headache to parents and guardians of the students studying in urban schools.
He said unfortunately 15 students earmarked for form one at Faufanea community high school this year have now been transferred by parents to other schools mostly in Honiara based on the norm they will do better there.
Mr Ma’akalo warned the responsible parents that while the idea of sending their children to urban schools might look and sound better, their action is adding more hardships to the guardians in terms of coping with the high cost of living in Honiara and elsewhere in other urban centres.
The school principal concluded that education authorities must discourage parents from transferring their children to urban centre schools unless they have reached the maximum education level in the rural school which is only available in an urban school or college.
By AATAI JOHN
