7 March 2022
The Ministry of Education and Hueman Resources Development (MEHRD) will proceed with its Learning Continuity Programm for students throughout the country whilst schools remain closed for an indefinite period. Permanent Secretary of MEHRD Dr. Franco Rodie has endorsed the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) which provides guidelines for schools, teachers and parents/guardians on the processes and resources required to deliver both online learning and home-schooling modalities for students. In 2020, MEHRD embarked on digitalising some of the materials to enable learning continuity and these can be accessed online on the Solomon Islands iResource website – http://www.iresource.gov.sb.
Teachers, parents, and students who have access to reliable internet connectivity can access and download the materials freely for Early Childhood Education (ECE) up to Year 9. Copies of a Learning Continuity Book (LCB) for Primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary schools will be distributed through Education Authorities (EAs)
. Some Copies of these books were delivered in 2021 to schools within emergency zones like Honiara, Guadalcanal, Shortlands and parts of Western Provinces. MEHRD is now liaising with EAs and donor partners for the safe delivery of these books to the remaining province. PS Rodie noted that the National Disaster Operations Committee for Education (NDOC-E) has updated MEHRD’s Covid-19 Response and Recovery Plan which includes the Student Learning Continuity Program. He has also emphasised the safety of his staff is crucial in ensuring the Learning Continuity Program proceeds during the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. He said MEHRD has trained three of its staff to conduct swabbing using the Rapid Antigen Test Kit. “The tests are going to be administered to staff on a weekly basis,” PS Rodie added. He said his officers' confidence to return work has been slow, due to the measures imposed on Honiara citizens that restrict their movements, as well as to comply with measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Furthermore, PS Rodie said MEHRD in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Service has prepared a paper on the preconditions for opening of the schools and has been submitted to the Oversight Committee for its deliberation. “We thank the public for their patience and ask for understanding and cooperation as we work together to ensure our staff, teachers, and parents can safely support our children’s education,” PS Rodie added.
Source – GCU.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
