The Kukum Seventh Day Adventist School, Florence Young Christian School and Saint Nicholas Anglican College in Honiara are the first beneficiaries of primary and secondary education packs to help students understand how to better manage waste and why this is so important for our oceans.
These education packs are being provided to schools alongside recycling bins, as the Solomon Islands and UK look to tackle marine pollution.
These have been possible through the UK Government’s Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) and the Solomon Islands Government through its Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM).
At the handing over of the education packs to each school on Tuesday 15 October, British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Nauru, His Excellency Thomas Coward said:
Children are our country’s future and educating them about marine biodiversity, marine pollution and sustainable seafood is important. We are pleased to present these education packs to the students and teachers, and we are hopeful they will learn to protect marine pollution.
The Literacy Association of Solomon Islands (LASI) was engaged by the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) to translate the education packs into Solomon Islands pijin making them simple for both teachers and students at the schools.
Senior Research Scientist at Cefas, Freya Goodsir said:
Through the Ocean Country Partnership Programme, we are delighted to collaborate with the Solomon Islands and support initiatives to tackle marine pollution. These education packs and recycling bins will make a real difference to the school communities and inspire the next generation to be leaders in protecting their incredible marine environment.
Chief Environment Officer, Environment and Conservation Division at the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Wendy Beti said:
The ministry is thankful to the British High Commission through its OCPP for publishing the primary and secondary education packs we are giving you. The ministry is actively supporting this programme through various initiatives including the provision of recycling bins with some schools having received them and other schools that will be delivered later. OCPP also supports the ministry through coastal water quality monitoring, awareness campaigns and billboards and provincial workshops. We look forward to collaborating with schools and important stakeholders of the programme.
The school leaders of Kukum SDA School, Florence Young School and St Nicholas School expressed their gratitude for the education packs saying children are at the core of such initiatives as they are the country’s future.
Construction of eight recycling bins is progressing, and the three schools are expected to receive theirs this month.
OCPP is funded by the UK Government International Development and delivered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Joint Nature Conservancy Committee (JNCC) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on behalf of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).