Children access early childhood education

Bringing early education to children's door-steps: One of the four ECCE classroom buildings that were opened in East Malaita. Thirteen more will be opened in July.

Communities in East Malaita, Malaita Province, will now have access to early childhood education, for the first time, thanks to the government and the people of New Zealand.

Four Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres were officially opened in the remote region of Malaita recently with 13 more centres set to open by July.

These centres were supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and World Vision New Zealand under a four-year project which will end mid next year.

“The opening of these early childhood centres is a wonderful occasion, for the communities in East Malaita, to celebrate their hard work with project team and partners,” said Kylie Enoka, representative of World Vision New Zealand.

The centres were opened in Sangori, Alisisiu, Gagalu and Adeliua village, which will enable hundreds of children to begin learning at an early stage, preparing them well for primary school.

Early Childhood Education staff of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD), Representatives of the Malaita Provincial Government, World Vision staff in East Malaita and community members witnessed these occasions.

For people in the four communities, these centres are “a dream come true”.

“Today, we are filled with tears of great joy,” said Ben Ledia, chairperson of Sangori Early Childhood Centre, at the opening of their Centre.

“This historical occasion marks a new chapter and millstone to the history of development in this community,” said Sadios Oge of Adeliua Village.

He said their struggle in getting their little children to school over the past years strengthened their will to build the centre with the support of partners.

The experience in East Malaita when it comes to attending school is a difficult one. Some children as young as three years old walk for three kilometers each day to get to the nearest school.

Sadios said the centre will end their children’s challenging experiences, such as trekking through the muddy paths and crossing rivers, when trying to get to school.

“Even though we have commitments, we prioritized work on the kindy centre,” Sadios added.

The project mobilized communities to take the lead in providing timbers for the construction of classrooms.

The project equipped teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach, and help setup early childhood education committees in these communities to oversee the operation of these centres as well as resource these centers with learning materials.

Community members also help resource their centers with learning materials made from home materials.

~ENDS~

For more information, or for an interview please contact:

Mike Puia, Communications Officer, World Vision Solomon Islands

M: 8833544   T: 20055   E: mike_puia@wvi.org