Government’s plan to delay development of a fourth campus of the University of the South Pacific at Doma land, west of Honiara, had drawn deep disappointment by the tribal customary owners of Doma land.
Referring to a recent announcement by the Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Dr.Derek Sikua, who said government had decided to delay development of the project, tribal land owners said they were very disappointed about the move.
Government plan to develop Doma land into a fourth campus of USP had been on the drawing board for a few years.
Sikua had announced during a recent handover ceremony at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) that government had planned to develop academic facilities for USP campus at the land below the University’s Panatina campus.
It will be at the site where facilities were provided when the country hosted the Festival of Pacific Arts in 2012 while awaiting development of the proposed Doma campus at later time.
But the announcement did not go down well with the customary tribal land owners of Doma land.
They feel the delay in building the Uni-campus on their land at Doma will deprive them of participation in the development process, thus also depriving them of the economic benefits such as rentals on land leases.
A spokesman for Sahalu provincial ward, Junior Rapasia told the Sunday Star, that Government’s delay plan was not welcomed by the land owners who he said are eager to see development of a fourth USP campus on their land.
Sikua however, explained during his announcement of the plan that the delay was necessary due to important factors.
He said while finance to meet the cost of such multi-million dollar projects is one of the contributing factors to the delay other important aspects such as electricity and water supply are vital before the proposed development can start.
He said the provincial headquarters township and the cannery factory planned for Doma land are also vital development initiatives which must be established first before the proposed Uni-campus.
Sikua explained that it is straight forward and easier for the government to start building extension facilities for USP at the land below SINU’s Panatina Campus where electricity and water supply facilities already existed.
He said both the Guadalcanal provincial township and the forth USP campus proposed for Doma land in West Honiara are still very much on Government’s long term priority plan.
By LESLEY SANGA