Youth leadership and community service in evidence
“Exemplo ducemus.” (By example we lead)
Students from the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (ITH) at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) staged a clean-up exercise yesterday, Tuesday, through the streets of Honiara.
They students walked the streets of Honiara collecting plastics, bottles and other garbage as part of their community service.
The details of the clean-up exercise were reported by the Solomon Star newspaper, from which I quote:
“The students were divided into 3 groups; one started from the Kukum campus to City Council, the other started from Town Ground round-about to town council and the final group was at the underpass scrubbing off the betel-nut stains.
“Speaking to SINU media, a student said last week during the Leadership Pacific 2019 conference Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer gave the poor state of the roads as an example of poor leadership in the country.
“However, littering of plastics, bottles, etc. on our roads or spitting of betel-nut stains on public spaces is an example of poor attitude as citizens.
“Therefore, leaders as well as citizens must play a role in creating a better Solomon Islands. For instance, the under-pass was cleaned and repainted just a month ago and now it is covered by betel-nut stains again.
“We are cleaning it now but for how long will it remain clean and stain-free?” the student asked.
“ITH Lecturer Mary Tavava said they are doing what they’ve practiced in their small institution at Kukum campus to a bigger scale.
“Our Institute is a betel-nut and smoke-free zone and we assign students to do daily clean-ups in and around the campus. ITH is one of the cleanest institutes at SINU,” she said.”
I extend my thanks to all the SINU students involved in the clean-up work. Well done!
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
