Solomons Island opens first national university

Solomons Island opens first national university

Solomon Islands open its first university after a land lease signing ceremony at Doma outside Honiara.

The Solomon Islands government has opened its first university after a land lease signing ceremony at Doma outside Honiara. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo and other dignitaries attended the gathering on Thursday.

Dr Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka from the University of Hawaii’s Centre for Pacific Islands Studies has told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat the Solomon Islands National University will bring new opportunities for young people.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing… the demand for higher education in the Solomon Islands is huge and it is important that we have our own university,” he said.

Dr Tara Kabutaulaka says in the past Solomon Islanders have had the option of sending their children to university in Fiji or Papua New Guinea, but this has been too expensive for many families.

“There are a lot of Solomon Islanders who are not able to make it to Fiji, not because they’re not capable but just because they can’t afford it,” he said.

“At the moment a lot of parents cannot afford even to pay the airfare.

“It will be, as you can imagine, much cheaper to have education within country.”

Dr Tara Kabutaulaka says the new university will replace the former Solomon Islands College of Higher Education.

He says there is still a lot of work to be done to make it a “credible university” and obtain international recognition.

“But I am certain that with commitment and with the kind of work people in the Solomons are doing we can get there,” he said.