ELEVEN teachers from the Marist College Canberra and Girls Grammar School in Canberra arrived in Honiara on Sunday and will be here for a week, visiting some schools they helped build in Honiara and Guadalcanal and interact with them.
These include St Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School, Mercy School at Burn’s Creek, Laumanasa Community and Rural Training Centre, Divit Training Centre at Visale, the Christian Care Centre at Tenaru and the Amoana Christian Academy at Rifle Range in West Honiara.
This visit, facilitated by the Solomon Islands High Commission in Canberra, is part of an ongoing relationship between the Australian Marist Solidarity and the “Make A Mark Australia” (MAMA) charity with some schools in Honiara, Guadalcanal and Santa Ysabel.
“I am delighted that you have all joined us to improve the quality of education in Solomon Islands by supporting these schools. Over time, these new buildings and interactions between our students will deliver on better learning outcomes and opportunities for all girls and boys to choose careers they desire and aspire to,” Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Australia, Robert Sisilo told the teachers when they met at his office last week.
The Acting Headmaster of Marist College Canberra, Liam Stakelum was also very supportive of the visit and looked forward to an experience his students and the school will always cherish.
“Marist College Canberra is proud to collaborate with Australian Marist Solidarity, MAMA and partner schools through its student and staff immersion programs in the Solomon Islands. The immersions are wonderful opportunities to learn from each other, and offers experiences that educate, challenge, and transform our students.
“We are dedicated to fostering lasting, meaningful relationships with our partners in the Marist Star of the Sea Province. We deeply appreciate the support of the Solomon Islands High Commission. Know that it is an experience that we cherish as a school community,” Mr Stakelum said.
These visits will open new opportunities for further collaboration and build capacity through exchange programs between schools in Australia and Solomon Islands. A proposal still being discussed is an exchange program for teachers and students of both countries.
