The government is making plans to repatriate Solomon Islands tertiary students studying in Fiji as early as March 2022.
Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Jimmie Rodgers confirmed the plans during the COVID-19 oversight committee’s talkback show over the weekend on the national broadcaster, SIBC.
Dr. Rodgers says that at least 200 students who have completed their studies are still stuck in Fiji, and two charter flights are being arranged to bring them home.
He says that another privately arranged charter flight is scheduled to arrive in Honiara on the 26th of February, bringing home some 30 students from PNG. He says the government is also looking at bringing home several students in the Philippines on the same flight.
He assures other tertiary students abroad that arrangements are also being made to bring them home. This includes students studying in Cuba, the US, Korea, and the UK.
With international flights opening up in Australia it is now possible to bring students back home via Brisbane, the most economical route for most living and studying abroad.