- Education and literacy – Only 60% of children have access to education, and school is not compulsory. A very basic Fee Free Education Scheme is in place to cover operational costs of schools but does not cover students beyond grade 10, resulting in high dropouts with often inadequate vocational training for the workforce. The national education budget was severely compromised during the internal economic crisis which saw class sizes grow larger and child labour increase. The Department of Education’s plans to expand educational institutions and increase attendance have been hampered by lack of funding, poor-coordination of teacher-training programs and a failure of the government to pay teacher wages. Overall literacy sits at approximately 84.1% and indicators show that females are less likely to complete high school than males.
- Gender inequality – Asset and income disparities are highly influenced by inequitable educational and employment opportunities. Whilst women have a higher life expectancy, they are less likely to be fully literate, pursue tertiary education, enter the formal labour force and attain earnings as high as males for same work. Women rarely occupy senior level jobs; the current cabinet has no women at all.
- Child Labour – As a byproduct or perhaps cause of low school enrolment rates, it is a sad reality that many children and youth end up being engaged in child labour, particularly sexual exploitation. This trend is true of both males and females, predominantly in areas close to logging camps, fishing ports and areas of high tourism.
- Natural Disasters – Floods, typhoons and volcanic eruptions threaten much of the country’s landmass. Most recently, an earthquake struck the Western region in 2007 killing 52 people and disturbing the livelihoods of 36 500. Disaster Risk Reduction is high a priority, but the expanses between the dispersed population make efficient delivery of health care and social services difficult. To further complicate matters, malaria prevalence across Solomon Islands is one the highest in the world.
Sources:
CIA WorldFact Book - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html
United Nations Development Programme - http://www.undp.org/content/dam/fiji/docs/Final_SI_MDG.pdf
