Opposition MP Tozen Leokana supports free education but urges fiscal, infrastructure and teacher planning for sustainability
Honiara, Solomon Islands – South Choiseul MP Hon. Tozen Leokana says the Opposition supports the aspiration of universal access to education but the Government must put in place the machinery needed to make its proposed Free Education Policy sustainable.
Speaking during the debate on the Speech from the Throne, Hon. Leokana said no child should be denied education because their family cannot afford school fees.
However, he said removing fees alone does not create a functioning education system.
“The Opposition does not oppose free education as an aspiration. It opposes announcing a national entitlement before the classrooms, the teachers, the dormitories, the water systems and the fiscal machinery exist to carry it,” Hon. Leokana said.
As a former Minister responsible for education, Hon. Leokana said the proposed nationwide rollout must be considered against the realities already facing Solomon Islands’ education system.
He identified five major implications that Government must address: urban drift, fiscal pressure, infrastructure strain, teacher supply and the potential trade-off between access and quality.
On financing, Hon. Leokana questioned where the money for a policy of this scale would come from and called for Government to provide Parliament with a ten-year fiscal projection, annual costs, a revenue plan, sensitivity analysis and a contingency plan.
He said the Speech from the Throne presents Free Education as the flagship of the Government’s social programme but does not provide the fiscal information necessary for Parliament to assess whether the policy is sustainable.
“Where will the money come from?” Hon. Leokana asked, pointing to possible sources including taxation, resource revenues, borrowing and donor assistance.
Infrastructure is another major concern.
Hon. Leokana said Solomon Islands already has thousands of additional children entering the education system each year, placing pressure on classrooms and other facilities even before the proposed Free Education rollout.
He warned that removing fees could create a significant surge in enrolment without sufficient classrooms, teacher housing, dormitories, sanitation, water systems and other infrastructure to accommodate the increase.
Teacher supply is equally critical.
Hon. Leokana said existing teacher upgrading programmes are welcome but do not amount to a teacher-supply plan capable of supporting a nationwide fee-free policy from 2027.
He called for a ten-year teacher-supply plan setting out the number of teachers required by education level, province and year, alongside strategies to address certification gaps and teacher absenteeism.
He also warned that expanding access without equivalent investment in teachers, classrooms, learning materials, sanitation and management could undermine the quality of education.
“If a Government pushes access hard enough, without commensurate investment in classrooms, teachers, learning materials, sanitation, and management systems, then the quality of what happens inside the classroom deteriorates,” he said.
Hon. Leokana said the Opposition’s position is therefore not to reject Free Education, but to ensure that it is properly designed and implemented.
The Opposition supports targeted assistance for vulnerable households, strengthening provincial schools, investment in teacher training and housing, classroom construction, water and sanitation, learning materials and curriculum modernisation.
“Free Education is an important aspiration for Solomon Islands. But a policy of this scale must be supported by the fiscal, legal, infrastructure and human-resource machinery required to deliver it.”
“A policy without the machinery to keep its promises risks becoming a promise without the capacity to deliver.”
SOURCE//: Opposition Press Release
