PAC questions whether $1 million is enough to prepare for Solomon Islands’ Free Education Policy and urges stronger planning
The Public Accounts Committee has questioned whether the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development has enough funding to prepare for the Government’s free education policy.
The issue was raised during the committee’s examination of the ministry’s 2026 Supplementary Appropriation Bill.
Committee members questioned whether about $1 million set aside for preparation would be enough to support the work needed before the policy is implemented.
PAC member Peter Shanel Agovaka said the committee supports the policy but urged the ministry to consider whether additional funding may be needed.
“I think I encourage you to put more than that,” Agovaka told the ministry.
Agovaka also asked the ministry to look at how other countries fund free education and whether the Education Act 2023 provides the right legal basis for the policy.
The ministry said preparations are already underway as part of its wider education reforms.
Linda Wate, Deputy Secretary for Teaching and Learning and currently supervising the Permanent Secretary’s office, said the ministry is working on several areas to prepare for the policy.
She said this includes reviewing education data, looking at access and inclusion, assessing the number and distribution of teachers, and deciding what services and costs will be covered under free education.
“The work that we are currently doing is analysis of all our data that we have. So the task force that we have set up to implement this particular policy area will be looking at equity, inclusion,” Wate said.
Wate said qualified teachers are not evenly distributed across the country, with some urban areas having more teachers while remote communities face shortages.
The ministry is also reviewing the senior secondary school curriculum. It plans to increase the number of subjects from 13 to about 21, with support from the Asian Development Bank.
The ministry is also improving its education data system so information from schools can be used more effectively for planning and budgeting.
Wate said the cost of the free education policy is expected to increase once implementation begins, particularly in areas such as school grants and school operations.
The PAC said it supports the policy but wants the Government to ensure that the financial resources, planning and legal arrangements are in place as preparations continue.
By: Steven kamoa
