(contenu disponible en anglais uniquement)
Stronger together: The Pacific Community expands education partnership with Solomon Islands
Country missions are a foundation of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) approach to building strong, collaborative relationships with its member countries. These meetings and discussions not only deepen partnerships, but they also create opportunities for resource mobilisation, exchange of best practices and development of joint initiatives that help strengthen education systems across the region.
In this spirit of collaboration, SPC completed a five-day mission to Solomon Islands from 19 to 25 May, laying the foundation for transformative changes in the country’s education sector.
The visit reaffirmed SPC’s commitment to supporting national priorities and advancing regional collaboration.
During the mission, SPC engaged with key national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), the Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority (SITESA) and development partners, with a focus on promoting inclusive, innovative and sustainable education reform.
The mission involved a comprehensive needs assessment, strategic policy advice and targeted training sessions. A key highlight was in-depth dialogue with SITESA on the development of a national accreditation system for post-secondary education – a major step toward modernising and digitising the country’s current manual processes.
The Chief Executive Officer of SITESA, Constance Nasi, welcomed the support, noting that the shift to a digital accreditation platform would significantly enhance the credibility of qualifications.
“This marks a significant milestone for SITESA, as the development of an online national accreditation system will greatly improve the efficiency, transparency and timeliness of our accreditation processes. With SPC’s technical and advisory support, the new system will help ensure that qualifications awarded by training providers are credible, future-ready and aligned with both national and regional standards.”
“Overall, the partnership presents significant opportunities for continued collaboration to strengthen the institutional quality assurance system and support SITESA’s broader mandate to ensure the quality, relevance and recognition of post-school education and training in Solomon Islands,” Nasi said.
Dr. Franco Rodie, Permanent Secretary of MEHRD, praised the SPC mission’s evidence-based approach and its alignment with the 2025 education work plan.
“You have accomplished your mission to support key areas under the 2025 work plan and provide assistance aligned with the national education priorities,’’ Dr. Rodie said.
SPC’s technical team facilitated knowledge exchange sessions tailored to the strategic education goals of Solomon Islands, covering areas such as curriculum development, quality assurance and capacity building.
The Deputy Director of SPC’s Educational Quality and Assessment Programme, Seci Waqabaca, emphasised the importance of these missions in understanding local challenges and aligning support with national priorities.
“Country missions are vital for understanding the specific needs and challenges faced by each member state. In Solomon Islands, the mission enabled a focused needs assessment, helped tailor policy support to national priorities and strengthened SPC’s understanding of the local context.”
The mission concluded with clear priorities for technical support, targeted training plans and strengthened coordination with development partners.
It also reinforced SPC’s long-standing commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, ensuring inclusive, equitable, quality education while promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all across the Pacific.
