Allowances problem for SI students in Cuba

Hello again,

I wish to comment briefly on the above item which was highlighted in the media recently.

I understand and do acknowledge that sending money to Cuba, a communist country isolated and economically barred by some of the capitalist giants of the world, is difficult and hence the delay. But what took the authorities so long to react?

 I am really surprised to hear that after almost a year without allowances responsible authorities have only recently started to take the matter seriously. As reported, the students have not received any form of allowances from the government since June 2009. My question is; why does it have to take the responsible authorities seven solid months before they can be serious about addressing the issue?

According to media reports, it was only recently that serious formal high level arrangements were initiated between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to identify the best possible ways to send the money to our students in Cuba. Why have you taken the issue so lightly? I am sure that the authorities will say that they are taking the matter seriously. But it was only after the students threatened to boycott their exams that they were shaken.

Regardless, for such an important issue which involves the lives of Solomon Islanders, seven months is just too long a time for it to be properly addressed and resolved. I see this as grossly unacceptable and a total ignorance of duty by relevant authorities.

I would have thought that such arrangements, such as the means of paying the students allowances, would have been high in the agenda when the deal was sought and made between SIG and the Cuban government to initiate such a programme. However, it is now clear that these vital issues may have never been part of the discussion, or if they do, have been greatly understated and underestimated.

I only hope that the issue does not prevail over the years and is sorted once and for all so that in the future our students will not have to worry about such issues that are outside of their academic responsibilities.

And as sad and frustrating the issue can be, the lessons learnt from it must not be taken lightly. The government must tread carefully in the future when making deals with foreign countries, especially those known to be hostile to the Western world. And when entering into bilateral contracts with other countries, especially when dealing with training such as the case of our students in Cuba, all dimensions of the case at hand must be taken into consideration. For a good deal is not only measured by its economic merits but also its moral and social values.

Train a Youth to Build a Nation- Waimapuru Celebrates Silver Jubilee

Hello again frens,

As a former Waimapuru student, having spent the whole of my high school life there, I wish to congratulate the Government and the past and present staff and students of Waimapuru for the achievements and many challenges that the School as an instutition has encountered so far.

Waimapuru has helped to mould and sharpen many individuals over the last 25 years and it will continue to do so many more years to come. In Waima, I have made unforgetable friends, both from the staff and students communities and I have also nurtured many memorable experiences, good and bad. It was at Waima that I learnt how to speak proper pidgin and learnt and unerstand more or better about what a "town" is.

I had friends who are town-based, from schools like Woodford, Chung Wa, St. Nicholas, and so forth who have helped in my imaginations of what the "6 storey-building" looks like and how many vehilces there are in the roads of Honiara, about the bigs ships that berth there and about movies and videos. Their explanations and from what I learnt from books, and teachers my contemporary world view was moulded and shaped. I realised today that I was not the only person going through that transition but there were others. And all of these individuals, including myself will always hold a close attachment to Waimapuru.

Nationally, Waimapuru holds a very important place in the education system and structure of Solomon Islands. It has produced many prominent leaders and individuals who today are helping to develop Solomon Islands. Indeed it has lived up to its motto: "Train a Youth to Build a Nation". And being one of the only few existing government-owned schools, Waimapuru represents an important direct link to the people by the government. With the curent swift towards education privitisation, we do hope that this very important relationship between the government and the people through education is maintained or better still enhanced.

Over the years, we have heard the government's declared intention to have a national universtiy. On this note, apart from SICHE, Waimapuru can stand as a very suitable location to host a national tertiary institution of that calibre. Waimapuru has abundant land mass and fertile soil, cooperative and negotiable landowners and lovely and friendly surrounding communities. It has ready access to road and the nearest sea port is just a few kilometres away. Above all and most importantly, Makira is always a good place to be so having an unversity there will serve no harm at all(ha!ha!ha!- anyway, this is not a promotional stunt for makira).

So as we join in the silver jubilee celebrations of Waimapuru, as a nation we must reflect back on the achievements and challenges we have ecnountered so far in our education system, especially through Waimapuru, and envisage on what the future will become.

GOD BLESS WAIMAPURU...GOD BLESS SOLOMON ISLANDS
HAPPY SILVER JUBILEE