SI students told to remain in host countries amid COVID-19 crisis

Solomon Islands students at USP’s Laucala campus. Picture: File photo/Jared Koli

By JARED KOLI

Solomon Islands Government (SIG) sponsored tertiary students studying in COVID-19 affected countries have been told to remain in their respective host institutions and countries.

The decision was announced by the SI Cabinet after a request was made by SIG sponsored students studying in Fiji and Philippines to be repatriated home because of the threat of COVID-19 in those two countries.

Students in Fiji were informed of the decision over the weekend through their education attaché in Suva via email and initially from Solomon Islands Permanent Secretary for Education and Human Resources, Dr Franco Rodie.

 “The Cabinet’s decision was that all SIG sponsored tertiary students studying in their respective institutions and countries should remain in their respective host institutions and countries,” the email read.

“In addition, the Cabinet advised that (an) evacuation option remains open until such time there is a change of situation caused by COVID-19 in the students’ host countries.”

Dr Rodie said the situation posed by the COVID-19 in the students’ host institutions and countries would be carefully monitored frequently by the MEHRD (Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development) through the education attache and authorities in the institutions, to ensure internal safety, security and quarantine requirements imposed on students by the host countries.

“Should there be any instruction that the host institutions and countries will not guarantee the safety of the students, and therefore request their evacuation, the Government will immediately (action) its contingency plan to evacuate students,” it says.

The Cabinet has also recommended a number of measures to secure the safety and welfare of the students. These include assistance package of allowances, increased communication, awareness and instructions between SIG and student bodies, and for students to comply with safety measures issued by host countries.

USP Solomon Islands Students Association (SISA) president Peter Maclean said he respected the decision made by the Cabinet. 

“My priority as a leader is the safety and welfare of students, however, I respect the decision of the Government. I’m taking into account their assurance of additional help and anticipate that they live by it,” Mr Maclean said.

Third-year Solomon Islands USP student Dannie Sopi said the decision was reasonable, seeing that it would also be expensive for students to cope with studies if they were repatriated to the Solomon Islands.

“I think the Government should consider the situation here in Fiji in all spheres that is why it wants us to remain,” Sopi said.

The decision comes after a Cabinet paper was tabled on March 26 by the Minister for Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD), Commins Aston Mewa which seeks Cabinet decision to consider tertiary students’ request to be repatriated.

Meanwhile, USP continues to give advice and instructions for staff and students in all its regional campuses on effort to safeguard all, and to assist the National Governments plans to contain Covid-19 pandemic.

The University issued a notice that all campuses were currently on level 3 response as per the Covid-19 pandemic management plan, noting that USP campuses in Lautoka, Tonga, Alafua and Tuvalu were on lock down.

USP advised students to stay away from those campuses on lock down. Effective from March 20, USP had also extended the mid-semester break by an additional week with classes expected to resume on Monday, April 6.

*Jared Koli (Solomon Islands) is a final-year journalism student at USP’s Laucala campus. He is also the editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online production.