40,370 research outputs found
Labour mobility and diaspora: An overview of Solomon Islands’ historical regulatory experience, 1850s-2013
No full textWith less than 4,500 of its population of around 600,000 living overseas in 2013, the Solomon Islands ranks 138th in the world for diaspora formation. At these levels the scale of the diaspora as a proportion of population (0.8 percent) remains lower than it was in the early 20th century, when more than 5,000 Solomon islanders were compulsorily repatriated from Queensland under early Australian Commonwealth legislation. This working paper retraces and reframes the history of Solomon Islands labour mobility and diaspora formation since the 1850s, considering it in relation to the wider institutional and macro-regulatory machineries of three phases or regimes of economic, trade and mobility regulation. These regimes are referred to in this paper as: 1.liberal imperial, 2. national territorial and 3. International neoliberal. We argue that Solomon Islanders’ participation in labour mobility has been substantial under all three phases, but that international mobility and diaspora formation only developed significantly under the liberal imperial regime. Even then, however, its development proved precarious. The ways regional actors and governments acting within the different regimes have framed and segmented labour markets continue to powerfully shape mobility and diaspora outcomes. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the situation to date for future economic development and security in Solomon Islands
Technology Teachers' Perceptions of the Roles and Uses of ICT in Solomon Islands' Schools
No full textAlthough the impact of ICT in teaching and learning is increasing, whether it will deliver its potential depends to a large extent on how teachers access and use ICT within the teaching and learning process (Balanskat Blamire, 2007). Furthermore, teachers' understanding of how ICT contributes to teaching and learning can be invaluable to the decisions they make about the use of ICT tools to enhance or transform their teaching.
Therefore, this study investigates the perceptions of technology teachers on the use of ICT tools in Solomon Islands schools. It also explores technology teachers' views about the level of ICT resources in the schools. The study used semi-structured interview; a qualitative method of data collection that involved eight technology teachers selected from four schools in Honiara. I choose to do qualitative research because it helped to explain technology teachers' perceptions and beliefs of the use of ICT tools in Solomon Islands schools. The flexibility within the research process allows for an in-dept look at the issues pertaining to the views of the participants.
The study identifies a range of issues regarding teachers' perceptions and beliefs about the integration of ICT tools in the Solomon Islands schools. These included teachers' views on the issues of access and use of ICT tools in schools, teachers' beliefs about the benefits and roles of ICT tools, teachers' views on the infrastructures and resources in the schools, the need for ICT professional development (PD) for teachers and a national policy to guide and control the use of ICT tools in schools. The study also found that many teachers in the Solomon Islands also lack the basic knowledge and skills in using ICT tools.
Based on these findings, this study offers the following recommendations that can be used to improve and support the integration of ICT tools in the Solomon Islands schools. These included supporting teachers in developing their knowledge and skills in using ICT tools, providing a continuous professional development for teachers in ICT, the need to create a policy in education to guide the use of ICT tools in education and supporting schools to build their ICT resources and infrastructure. These will help teachers to effectively integrate ICT tools into teaching and learning
Funds of knowledge: Developing a Diploma in Teaching in Early Childhood Education in the Solomon Islands.
No full textThis article discusses how three early childhood teacher educators, from the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education School of Education and the University of Waikato Faculty of Education, worked in partnership together and with others to develop a new Diploma in Teaching Early Childhood Education (ECE) for the Solomon Islands. We argue that the knowledge and understandings that we shared about New Zealand early childhood education and its bicultural curriculum Te Whāriki made our task easier from the outset. So too did our shared "funds of knowledge" and expertise, particularly the Solomon Islands women's indigenous knowledge and abilities to reflect on teaching and learning in their nation and New Zealand, two contexts they understood well. As we worked through a range of issues related to the development and delivery of courses, the primacy of relationships and historical, cultural and social contexts for learning were reinforced. Broad understandings of relevant education pedagogy for adults and young children were incorporated through the diploma development process. The result was a new Diploma in Teaching Early Childhood Education and new ways of teaching and learning embedded in Solomon Islands contexts, blending the best of local and imported knowledge. This article adds to a small body of literature related to ECE in the Solomon Islands and the Pacific region
Translating transitional justice: the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Full text linkThis paper contends that although the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission replicated the structure and operation of a truth commission based on a globalised and placeless theory of best practice in transitional justice, it was not adequately contextualised or integrated with local approaches to reconciliation and peacebuilding and therefore fell short of its ambitious mandate.
Introduction
The Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was the first truth commission in the Pacific, established under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act 2008 (TRC Act) in an effort to ‘promote national unity and reconciliation’ following the civil conflict which troubled the country between 1998 and 2003. The commission was publicly launched in 2008 by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Chair of the South African TRC, and officially began operations in 2010 for two years. The commission presented its five-volume final report to Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo in February 2012; however, the report has yet to be publicly released or presented to parliament, despite requirements in the Act to do so. The ongoing silence of the government led to the editor of the final report, long-term Solomon Islands resident Bishop Terry Brown, unofficially releasing the report electronically in early 2013.
The TRC conducted exhumations, research, closed hearings and statement taking across six of the nine provinces, overcoming financial constraints, logistical challenges and difficult terrain. Several regional and thematic public hearings were also held and broadcast on the radio. The final report was handed over to the prime minister within the allocated two-year time frame. In light of these achievements, the Solomon Islands TRC could be considered a ‘success’ insomuch as it fulfilled its mandated duties and produced a final report — a challenging and remarkable achievement itself. This success, however, was arguably superficial, a performance of reconciliation in the theatre of post-conflict peacebuilding. A wider perspective of post-conflict peacebuilding and reconciliation in the Solomon Islands shows the TRC was a minor player on a crowded stage. Many Solomon Islanders were unaware of the TRC, and those familiar with its acronym or name were often unaware of its role or mandate.
This paper contends that although the Solomon Islands TRC replicated the structure and operation of a truth commission based on a globalised and placeless theory of best practice in transitional justice, the TRC was not adequately contextualised or integrated with local approaches to reconciliation and peacebuilding and therefore fell short of its ambitious mandate. The commission did, however, produce a final report which in and of itself may serve as a positive outcome of the commission’s work. The experience of the Solomon Islands TRC demonstrates not only the conceptual and practical challenges faced and friction experienced of implementing a truth commission, but also the potential that truth commissions offer for promoting reconciliation and peacebuilding in post- conflict contexts in Melanesia.
This paper is divided into six parts. First, a brief background of the Solomon Islands conflict is outlined. Second, the recent evolution of the peacebuilding and transitional justice fields are discussed to offer a background for the Solomon Islands TRC. Third, the various conflict management and reconciliation practices in Solomon Islands are outlined, leading to the fourth part which introduces and describes the background of the Solomon Islands TRC. The challenges of and failures to adapt the TRC to the local context are illustrated in the fifth part, with a discussion focused on the mistranslation of the meaning and value of both ‘truth’ and ‘reconciliation’ in post- conflict Solomon Islands. Finally, the sixth part argues that despite being initially championed by civil society actors, rather than becoming a ‘hybridised’ institution, the commission had a veneer of adaptation, and was ‘replicated’ according to normative transitional justice discourse
FNT-based reed-solomon erasure codes
Full text linkThis paper presents a new construction of Maximum-Distance Separable (MDS) Reed-Solomon erasure codes based on Fermat Number Transform (FNT). Thanks to FNT, these codes support practical coding and decoding algorithms with complexity O(n log n), where n is the number of symbols of a codeword. An open-source implementation shows that the encoding speed can reach 150Mbps for codes of length up to several 10,000s of symbols. These codes can be used as the basic component of the Information Dispersal Algorithm (IDA) system used in a several P2P systems
Induction Experiences of Beginning Secondary Teachers in Solomon Islands
No full textResearch shows teacher induction programmes are crucial in supporting new teachers as they move into the profession. Widely implemented in different ways in many countries they have a shared purpose, which is to provide beginning teachers with an effective and supported transition into the teaching profession. In Solomon Islands, beginning teacher induction is yet to be made formal, standardised and systematic. This study investigated the induction experiences of beginning secondary teachers in Solomon Islands. While there is considerable research on beginning teacher induction in other countries, especially the developed countries, very little research has been carried out in Melanesian countries such as Solomon Islands. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Five themes emerged as central to beginning secondary teacher induction in Solomon Islands: barriers to effective beginning teacher induction; lack of formal beginning teacher induction; mentoring as an induction approach; need for professional development; and the influence of school leadership. Beginning secondary teachers in Solomon Islands encounter significant problems and challenges during their first years of teaching and for many they become barriers to success. The absence of any kind of formal induction programme for beginning secondary teachers in Solomon Islands appears to be a major contributor to the creation of these barriers. However, there was evidence of mentoring being used as an informal induction approach along with varying degrees of professional guidance and support by some school leaders. The positive influence of school leadership support was identified as a further critical factor in the induction of beginning secondary teachers. The development of an effective induction programme has important implications for beginning teachers in Solomon Islands and those involved in their professional learning. It is recommended that Solomon Islands aim to develop a national beginning teacher induction programme with a strong commitment to ongoing professional development for all stakeholders and an emphasis on professional mentoring as an induction approach
The Concept of Development in Ulawa in Solomon Islands and its Implications for National Development Policy and Planning
No full text'Social development' and 'economic development' are complex concepts, concepts that may be interpreted very differently in different contexts and at different times. Not only may the processes involved be different in different contexts, so too may be the criteria by which success is judged. It is argued here that successive Solomon Islands governments have striven for social and economic development without taking full account of the real nature of Solomon Islands society. What is needed is national development policy, planning and implementation that arise out of, and take fully into account, the historical, geographic and cultural context of Solomon Islands.
On the whole, the socio-economic structure of Solomon Islands society is currently underpinned by a tri-partite hierarchy in which, for the majority of Solomon Islanders, kastom (traditional beliefs and practices) and church (the beliefs and practices endorsed by the church) take precedence over the state as legitimate forms of authority. This inevitably poses problems for state-led development. If socio-economic development activities are to be successful in achieving a better quality of life for all Solomon Islanders, including those who live in rural areas, they must take full account of the role of kastom and church in the lives of the people. This must include an understanding of the differing concepts of development of people in different areas of the country such as those of Ulawa islanders that are discussed here.
The thesis begins with an introduction to the research (Chapter 1) in which the theoretical framework is located broadly within the postmodern paradigm. In Chapter 2 the essentially qualitative and interpretive nature of the methodology is outlined and explained. Chapter 3 provides a critical review of international development literature in which it is argued that official definitions and descriptions of development are based on production and deficit models. The need to accommodate an indigenous and organic concept of development, one that takes account of the diversity of human experience, is stressed. Chapter 4 provides an outline of Solomon Islands society. Here, the historical narrative is complemented by three metaphors - 'island', wantok and betelnut - which serve to reinforce and explain the nature of Solomon Islands society and the ways in which that society has been shaped by historical processes. Chapter 5 is devoted to a discussion of modern development activity in Solomon Islands, the main focus being on the period immediately preceding and following independence. Chapter 6 explores, with particular reference to Ulawa Island, indigenous concepts of development and the impact of national development activities on rural-dwelling islanders. It also engages the issue of state reform, proposing a model based on a two tier system, with central government in its current form dealing directly with the people at constituency rather than provincial level. Finally, Chapter 7 summarizes the main conclusions reached. It is noted that the failure of both pre- and post-independence governments to take full account of the nature of Solomon Islands society has been a major factor in the lack of effective development in the islands
The evaluation of conservation planning policy effectiveness in the Solomon Islands: A case study of the Solomon Islands National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
No full textThis research evaluates the effectiveness of conservation planning policy in the Solomon Islands and specifically examines the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The NBSAP is a requirement under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)1 which the Solomon Islands ratified in 1995. The NBSAP outlines a framework to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity in the Solomon Islands and is coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM). The practice of conservation or environmental policy evaluation is rarely undertaken in the Solomon Islands due to the lack of baseline data, inadequate monitoring of implementation, and unclear goals and objectives. In brief, effectiveness evaluation involves comparison of the actual result to the expected result at a given time in order to isolate the influence of a specific policy. However, because of unavailability of data and to avoid the complicated and lengthy process of evaluation, this research focussed instead on the performance principle2 of evaluation and considered the overall performance of the NBSAP policy to determine whether it is effective or not.
This research was qualitative and thus focussed on words with the intention to examine the NBSAP and its problems. Interviewing was the main data collection method and was conducted in two parts: semi-structured interviews involving eight participants, and two focus group interviews with four and six participants each. Research questions were prepared to guide the discussion but flexibility was allowed for explanations and asking of further questions.
The study found that biodiversity is of paramount importance in the Solomon Islands in that large proportion of the population lives in rural village settings and depends on biodiversity for their livelihoods and subsistence purposes. To the government, biodiversity forms a big portion of its export and revenue. This research noted that biodiversity continues to be destroyed and lost despite various interventions including the NBSAP, involving conservation partners such as the This research evaluates the effectiveness of conservation planning policy in the Solomon Islands and specifically examines the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The NBSAP is a requirement under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)1 which the Solomon Islands ratified in 1995. The NBSAP outlines a framework to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity in the Solomon Islands and is coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM). The practice of conservation or environmental policy evaluation is rarely undertaken in the Solomon Islands due to the lack of baseline data, inadequate monitoring of implementation, and unclear goals and objectives. In brief, effectiveness evaluation involves comparison of the actual result to the expected result at a given time in order to isolate the influence of a specific policy. However, because of unavailability of data and to avoid the complicated and lengthy process of evaluation, this research focussed instead on the performance principle2 of evaluation and considered the overall performance of the NBSAP policy to determine whether it is effective or not.
This research was qualitative and thus focussed on words with the intention to examine the NBSAP and its problems. Interviewing was the main data collection method and was conducted in two parts: semi-structured interviews involving eight participants, and two focus group interviews with four and six participants each. Research questions were prepared to guide the discussion but flexibility was allowed for explanations and asking of further questions.
The study found that biodiversity is of paramount importance in the Solomon Islands in that large proportion of the population lives in rural village settings and depends on biodiversity for their livelihoods and subsistence purposes. To the government, biodiversity forms a big portion of its export and revenue. This research noted that biodiversity continues to be destroyed and lost despite various interventions including the NBSAP, involving conservation partners such as the government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and donors. This study found that human behaviour and attitudes are real obstacles to conservation practices in the Solomon Islands, coupled with factors such as increasing economic demand, population growth and climate related effects. The study further found that networks of the actors involved, and integration of the NBSAP policy, which can be horizontal and vertical in structure, are needed. Strong leadership was also found to be lacking among the conservation stakeholders and specifically in the MECDM as a coordinating agency for the NBSAP policy. To conclude, it was found that NBSAP policy was not effectively playing a role in influencing the decision and implementation of other related policies
Trends and challenges for sustainable marine resource management for rural Solomon Islanders
No full textMuch has been claimed about the positive benefits of the customary marine tenure (CMT) system in the South Pacific and its implications for resource management. In Solomon Islands the premise of effective community-based resource management (CBRM) as a contemporary management tool, rests to a great degree on CMT, but does CMT still provide a sufficiently strong foundation to support this premise?
This research examines the social and environmental characteristics of two rural Solomon Islands coastal communities that have a long history in customary marine tenure; one with a strong chiefly system and the other one with a weaker chiefly system. The research gains insight into and an understanding of the experiences and lives of the villagers, given current debates on the need to address and move forward with the concept of CBRM with regards to the sustainability issues that they are currently confronting.
Using primarily qualitative methodologies the study focused on how marine resources are perceived and valued by different members of the community. The findings suggest that in communities where a common agreement on CMT no longer exists there is a significant challenge to stakeholders in attaining the goal of sustainably managed coastal marine resources through community based approaches. This challenge needs to be accounted for on a case by case basis as part of CBRM facilitation processes.
While this research may true for much of Solomon Islands, the case studies have revealed that although the villages are made up of families who are closely related they are not unified as a whole. Study findings suggest that the people retain a lingering vision of a small, integrated community but have failed to grasp how their differences as a community have affected their resource management outcomes.
The present day communities are affected by many outside factors that did not exist when traditional management systems were evolving. These factors bring management challenges for which traditional arrangements were not designed to cope and thus many have severely destabilising effects on the performance of traditional systems
The Perceptions of Beginning Secondary Teachers about their Professional Learning Experiences in the Solomon Islands Context
No full textThis thesis was designed to investigate the professional learning experiences of beginning secondary teachers (BSTs) in the Solomon Islands context. The study sought to interpret and document the lived experiences of a cohort of BSTs who graduated from the Diploma in Secondary Teaching programme at the School of Education, Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SOE-SICHE) in 2007. The focus of the study was on the sense of preparedness of the BSTs at the end of their initial teacher education, and their induction and professional learning experiences during the first two years of their teaching careers. The aim of the study was to find out how prepared the secondary teacher graduates from SOE-SICHE felt at the end of their teacher education programmes, the kind of professional support they needed as beginning teachers, and whether Solomon Islands secondary schools have adequate professional support systems in place to promote early career learning and development for beginning teachers. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will add to the body of knowledge in the field of teacher learning and professional development experiences of beginning teachers from a Pacific Island, Melanesian, socio-cultural context. Existing studies on teacher learning and development have been conducted mainly in economically developed western countries, which are significantly different from a developing Pacific Island nation such as the Solomon Islands. This study is the first of its kind to be conducted in the Solomon Islands. There is growing recognition in the literature that teacher learning and professional development should be linked to learning experiences that match teachers’ socio-cultural contexts (Flores, 2004). Proponents of such a view contend that learners assimilate new information better when their learning experiences are based on the integration of what they already know and the new phenomena and ideas with which they come in contact (Bruner, 1996; Vygotsky, 1978b; Wertsch, 1997). Hence, there is a need for education systems to provide effective learning opportunities and professional support for teachers that are relevant to the teaching and learning contexts in which they are going to find themselves during their teaching careers (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005). It is also important to note that initial teacher education (ITE) programmes cannot fully prepare beginning teachers for their teaching roles. Rather, teachers should be viewed as learners who need ongoing professional support throughout their teaching careers (Loughran, 2007; Murdoch, 1979). Two phases of teacher professional learning that are considered to have significant impact on teachers’ practice and retention in the profession are induction and continuing teacher professional development (Feiman-Nemser, 2001a). Therefore, it is vitally important that pedagogies used during these phases are not only well supported and resourced by school systems but also appropriate to teachers’ socio-cultural contexts (Anthony, Bell, Haigh, & Kane, 2007a). There is ample research evidence to suggest that ITE does have an impact on the quality of teaching in the classroom and students’ learning achievements (Cochran-Smith, 2003). This research took an interpretive qualitative case study research approach, drawing on social constructivism and socio-cultural theoretical perspectives to make meaning of the professional learning experiences of beginning secondary teachers in the Solomon Islands context. The experiences of the 11 BSTs who participated in this study informed the collective case of BSTs’ experiences in Solomon Islands secondary schools. The study explored the experiences of the BSTs in the five secondary schools where they were posted, in light of the personal and contextual factors that might have influenced their perceptions about their initial teacher education, induction, and professional learning experiences. The primary sources of data were a questionnaire and three in-depth semi-structured interviews, each of which lasted 50 to 60 minutes. The data analysis process was based on the interpretive qualitative research methodology adopted in the study. Content analysis techniques were used to identify emerging themes, and interpretive phenomenological analysis techniques were then used to interpret and make meaning of the relationships within and between the key themes that emerged. This study highlighted the BSTs’ perceptions of their sense of preparedness and professional learning experiences from initial teacher education through to their second year of teaching. The findings of the study suggest that the BSTs felt inadequately prepared in some aspects of their teaching roles, and needed guidance and support from their school communities. The lack of formal induction and planned professional development opportunities for beginning teachers in the five secondary schools that were involved in this study meant that they were deprived of the kind of advice and guidance needed by new teacher graduates at the beginning of their teaching careers. The findings also suggested that beginning teachers had little opportunity to observe, reflect, and learn from their teaching practices because they were assigned the same teaching load as their experienced colleagues from day one. The BSTs also taught under difficult conditions, given the general lack of teaching resources, crowded classrooms, and lack of specialised classroom facilities and equipment for subjects such as science, home economics, industrial arts, and agriculture. Information and clear guidelines on school processes and procedures were also lacking, including advice about new teacher registration processes and procedures. Such teaching conditions were a major source of anxiety for the BSTs during the first two years of their teaching careers. The study raises questions about how well secondary teachers are prepared and supported as beginning teachers during their early years of teaching in the Solomon Islands context. It also raises questions about the quality of leadership, school cultures, expectations of individual beginning teachers, the nature of teachers’ work, government and societal expectations, and government support for quality teaching and learning in Solomon Islands secondary schools. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will help improve initial teacher education and teacher professional development practices in the Solomon Islands. This thesis argues that there is a need to develop secondary schools as professional learning communities, or ‘villages of learning’ that promotes and encourages reflective dialogue, ongoing professional conversations, and collaboration between education authorities, school principals and teachers, to enhance teachers teaching practices, and promote students’ learning outcomes
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