Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698080767017.pdf (Solomon Islands)
EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE TRAINING COMMITTEE NATIONAL PARLIAMENT OF SOLOMON ISLANDS Responses to Committee Questions 2 Question Noticing Details Question No.2 Measures Taken to Address School Dropouts 10th Parliament, Second Meeting Order Paper 18, 22nd April 2015 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (Abstracted from the Daily Hansard, NPSI) Measures Taken to Address School Dropouts Mr JIMMY LUSIBAEA (North Malaita) to the Minister for Education and Human Resources Development: Can the Minister inform Parliament on what effective measures the Ministry has taken to capture school dropouts to ensure they receive some form of training so that they can contribute positively to the pool of human resources in our country?
Hon SNYDER RINI (Supervising Minister): I think I have already explained in my answer to the first question that the government will improve existing vocational schools and the government is going to build more technical schools for school dropouts to go there to train.

I think currently what we are experiencing shortage of technical people.
As I have stated SINU is now offering degree courses, and so all the certificate programs offered previously by SICHE should now be provided by technical schools for dropouts in forms 5, 6 and 7.

Mr. DAVID TOME (Mbaegu/Asifola): I am interested on those who have graduated with a degree in chemistry.

What is the plan of the Ministry in relation to those particular graduates for the laboratory?

The Minister of Health can assist the acting Minister for Education to answer that question.
Compiled for you with the courtesy the EHRTC Committee Email: ehrtc@parliament.gov.sb Hon Snyder Rini: That is very true but the problem is we do not have enough.

All chemistry graduates have been going into the field of teaching; they teach chemistry in secondary schools from forms 1 to form 7 because chemistry is an important subject in schools.

We are still short of chemistry graduates.


But if there is any surplus, for sure we will be looking at putting some of them to laboratories in the ministries, in particular labs at the Ministry of Health as well as Mines and Energy.

Mr. CULWICK TOGAMANA (Maringe/Kokota): I would like to thank the DCC Government for its forward policy in regard to what the Minister already mentioned by increasing the number of vocational schools till year 2025.
There is a disproportionate in location of vocational schools in our country as they are not in every province so that is one issue we need to look into.

My question of equal importance is the harmonizing of curriculum taught in these vocational schools.
Can the Minister explain to the House whether the ministry is working towards building a curriculum for vocational schools so that there is consistency in what is being taught in the various vocational schools that are already in place and those that are going to be built in the future?
Hon Snyder Rini: That is a very good question asked by the Member for Maringe/Kokota but I think that is a new question altogether and so I would like to encourage the Member for Maringe/Kokota to submit that in the next question time.

That is very, very important but this is to give the ministry time to answer it.

Mr Jimmy Lusibaea: I would like to thank the supervising Minister for his answers in informing the House on this important matter of national concern.
I also would like to thank others who have asked supplementary questions.

Compiled for you with the courtesy the EHRTC Committee Email: ehrtc@parliament.gov.sb