29 Jan 2013

Solomons parents concerned about teacher strike impact on children

2:36 pm on 29 January 2013

As a nationwide teachers' strike continues in Solomon Islands, parents are worried about the effect it will have on their children's education.

More than 9,000 teachers are striking over the government's failure to include promised back-pay and salary rises in the budget and to provide a timeline for when teachers will get their arrears.

Our correspondent, Dorothy Wickham, says generally Solomon Islanders understand the teachers' concerns and are aware that their salary structure is not very good compared to other parts of the Pacific.

But she says it's the students who are losing out as a result, especially those who have to sit exams at the end of the year to continue their education.

"It's not a good situation for children, we already have a lot of problems with our educational system with sometimes schools having difficulty funding all its programmes and it's not good when the government ignores teachers and affects children's education, this is a vital year for and parents are not happy that teachers are on strike at the moment, the delays the kids have to go through before they sit their exams towards the end of the year."

Dorothy Wickham reporting from Honiara