Senior Secondary Education Improvement Project, SSEIP to commence next year

The Senior Secondary Education Improvement Project, SSEIP, initially scheduled to begin on the 28th of October 2026 has been deferred to the first school term next year, 2027 due to the current school examinations.

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development is partnering with the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office for the survey, initially scheduled to begin on the 5th of October, then rescheduled to start on Wednesday 28th October. However, MEHRD further discussed with SINSO to consider the schools currently sitting their examinations and both parties agreed to defer the survey field operation until the first term next year-2027.

In preparation for the survey on the 22nd of October, SINSO organised and conducted a one-day pilot test at the Saint Mary Tanagai Community High School in North-West Guadalcanal. The pilot test followed on from a one-day training for the fourteen (14) enumerators, ten (10) supervisors including two (2) data monitoring staff and their Technical Team, who will be involved in the SSEIP survey.

The enumerators and coordinators were deployed after a briefing at the Statistics Office where they spent the day interviewing selected students both males and females in year 10, 11 and 12.

Overall Survey coordinator and Principal Statistician, Moffat Sanau said the experience will provide them first-hand information on what to expect when they are deployed into the field to execute the actual data collection from the selected schools throughout the country.

“Already they encountered some field issues, and that is good. That’s the intention of conducting such Pilot Testing as it will help the technical team to amend the system, questionnaire, general survey procedures before its actual operation. During the Pilot Testing, enumerators were deployed with the targeting sample of 51 students of which 39 are females and 12 are males students.

“The Pilot Testing was successfully implemented with the support from the Marara/St Mary Tanagai CHS Administrations especially the school Principal & his Team with the cooperation rendered by the 51 selected students from year 10, 11 & Year 12.”

Twenty-one schools (inclusion of the selected one for Pilot Testing) around the country have been selected to participate in the two-weeks actual field operation. SINSO has scheduled enumerators to visit the selected schools to conduct a face-toface interview with the selected students from Year 10, 11 & 12. and a facilities audit.

However, some selected schools only reach year 9, which means enumerators will conduct interviews with selected students from year 7 to 9. The survey supports the evaluation of gender-responsive school WASH and girls’ ablution block investment under SSEIP.

SINSO is requesting the principals and nominated school administrators to assist the field teams at their respective schools. The office also requests the schools to ensure that relevant school records are available for verification if required, including enrolment records, attendance registers, transfer or dropout records, and information on school WASH facilities and maintenance arrangements.

The concern questionnaire forms will be sent via email mode to those concerned school principals or school administrators for them to complete those forms/questionnaires before the SINSO enumerators reach their schools.

The Senior Secondary Education Improvement Project (SSEIP) is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to strengthen senior secondary education and build climate and disaster resilience.

The project will help achieve this by reforming the curriculum for the concern year/form levels to make it more practical and by equipping students with the necessary foundational skills for continuous learning and future employment, focusing on skills and jobs that foster resilience. It will update or construct facilities to climate-resilient standards at 10 schools and strengthen management.

The remaining twenty (20) schools selected for the survey are Siota Provincial Secondary School and Siro Community High School in Central Islands Province, St. Joseph Moli Community High School in Choiseul Province, AvuAvu Provincial Secondary School, Betikama Adventist College and Burnscreek Community High School , Lunga Community High School in Guadalcanal, Barasile Community High School, Guguha Community High School and Jejevo Community High School in Isabel Province, FM Campbell Community High School and Waimapuru National Secondary School in Makira Ulawa Province, Adaua High School and Arnon Atomea Provincial Secondary School in Malaita Province, New Place Provincial Secondary School and Vanua Community High School in Ren-bel Province, Lata Community High School, Luesalemba Provincial Secondary school and Nanghu Community High School in Temotu Province and RC Nicholson College Vonunu in Western Province.

The 2026 – SSEIP-Baseline School Survey will be conducted under the Statistical Law (Amendment Act 2007) and hence ALL the selected schools and their selected respondents are legally obliged to cooperate and provide the requested information as complete and correct as possible to the SINSO Field Enumerators conducting the survey.

ENDS.////