Supporting The Public Sector of Solomon Islands

Education

Public spending on education was 7.3 per cent of GDP in 2010. There are six years of primary education and seven years of secondary. Education provision in the country is almost exclusively run by the state, although several community-based and privately run preschools have existed on the islands for many years.

Solomon Islands College of Higher Education offers teacher training; finance, nursing and secretarial studies; and a range of technical subjects related to Solomon Islands’ economy such as marine and fisheries studies, forestry and agriculture. The college also gives some first-year university courses. Solomon Islands is a partner in the regional University of the South Pacific with a campus in Honiara.

Several years of conflict during the early 2000s severely damaged and depleted the country’s education system. Following the restoration of order in 2003, the government set about rehabilitating and reforming the country’s education system, with significant assistance from the governments of Australia and New Zealand.

Health

Public spending on health was five per cent of GDP in 2010. Infant mortality was 18 per 1,000 live births in 2011 (120 in 1960). Malaria remains the main health problem. Foreign assistance is also

significant in funding the country’s health care, for example, funding was supplied by the Government of Japan for the reconstruction of Gizo Hospital, destroyed by the tsunami in 2004.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is the central actor in the Solomon Islands’ health system, functioning as funder, regulator and provider of nearly all services. The government runs six hospitals, as well as clinics and clinical aid posts, with the National Referral Hospital located in Guadalcanal Province. Non-government and faith-based organisations also operate throughout the health sector, with support from the Ministry of Health. The private sector plays a very minimal role in health. There are currently no pharmaceutical manufacturers in the country but a small retail sub-sector does exist.

Transport

There are 1,390 km of roads, mainly located on Guadalcanal and Malaita, of which 2.4 per cent are paved and some 470 km are main roads, with the rest comprising private rural-access roads. The terrain is mountainous and heavy rainfall makes road conditions unpredictable.

Ports: The Solomon Islands is located along five major shipping routes and relies heavily on shipping for transport and cargo. There are two main international ports: a deep-water port at Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal and a smaller port at Noro on New Georgia. Both are managed by the Solomon Islands Ports Authority and offer port and overseas cargo handling services. A third international port, located at Yandina on Rennell Island, is shallower with limited services.

Airports: The only airport is the Honiara International Airport located on Guadalcanal, 13 km from Honiara. The airport is served by a few international and domestic airlines and is capable of accommodating Boeing 767s and cargo planes. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Solomon Islands is the authority in charge of all aviation matters in the country