A joint Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Solomon Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET) school visit program successfully completed last week.
A team from the SPC in country office, Youth@Work, NCD Warriors and from the Regional Economic Cooperation Branch of the Foreign Ministry has visited Panatina School, St. John School and Bishop Epalle School over the past two weeks to give presentations and awareness on issues relating to the work of SPC in Climate Change, Food Security and Healthy Diets, Unemployment and Economic Incentives for Youth, Physical Health and Non-Communicable Diseases.
A total of 466 students drawn from forms 4 to 6 from each school have attended the program.
According to the Joint Team, the program was very successful in that it provides an avenue where our students learn more about issues that affects their own society, issues that are not often taught in school syllabuses in the country.
The school program also targeted students who will be future leaders so that what they embrace today from their learning process can be used as their guiding principles in decision making and policy formulation in the future.
Students responded positively with keen interest on the issues presented to them. Many students raised concerns and questions that show passion within them towards these issues affecting their society and people.
In the Pacific region, the two most threatening forces affecting our society are the impact of climate change which is notably evident in our low lying islands, and Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) which accounts for about 70 percent of deaths in the region. It is therefore very crucial that Solomon Islands must spare no effort in combating these two forces.
The program was initiated by the joint efforts of these two offices and it was started in August 2014 with four schools, St. Nicholas, King George Sixth, Florence Young and Honiara High School with a total of 420 (Form Fives) students participating.
From August 2014 to August 2015, a total of seven schools have participated in the program with a total of 886 students. Some schools have missed out due to their busy schedules and commitments.
Source: Press Release, Government Communications Unit