USP Leads In Promoting Women’s Access To Higher Education

A recent report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) highlighted that women in the Solomon Islands face significant challenges accessing higher education, with only an 18% gross enrollment rate recorded in 2019.

The “Making Space: Women’s Participation in Higher Education in Solomon Islands” report recognised that education is critical for “economic growth and human and social development”.

However, this is an issue The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been working to address for the past few years. USP has successfully narrowed the higher male to female graduate ratios over the years and recorded more female graduates from 2021 onwards; a trend that is likely to be repeated in the upcoming graduation in Solomon Islands on 4 October 2024.

USP Solomon Islands graduation statistics for the past five (2019 – 2023) years shows that more women are now seeking higher education from the regional institution and this is evident as female accounted for 53% of the overall graduates in 2021 and 52% in 2023, further highlighting the institution’s commitment towards women empowerment in the hapi isles and across the Pacific.

As the region’s premier institute, USP, through collaboration with partners, stakeholders, and advocacy, is challenging existing issues such as “early marriage, teenage pregnancies, dismantling harmful social and gender norms”. These were amongst other factors listed in the ADB report that hinder women in the Solomon Islands from accessing higher education.

Scheduled to open a new campus in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on 3 October 2024, USP is strengthening its resolve to provide women access to higher education and pathways to pursue tertiary studies.

The Asian Development Bank acknowledges that opening the new campus will address “the pressing need for expanded tertiary educational facilities in Honiara to increase participation in tertiary education”.

It is estimated that the expansion of USP in Honiara will “accommodate an additional 1,200 students, representing an estimated 28% increase from 2015 enrollment rates, and will help meet the growing demand for higher education opportunities”.

With its state-of-the-art facilities, fitted with modern teaching & learning space, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure with high-quality video conferencing capability, and disability-friendly design, the new campus will provide relief to parents, guardians and students who would not have to leave home in pursuit of tertiary studies.

In addition to the sustainable infrastructure and facilities, the expansion of USP in the hapi isles will enable more young people, particularly young women, to pursue studies in their home country, reducing costs and increasing access to higher education.

The new USP Campus aims to leverage ICT to reduce reliance on physical space and encourage “distance and flexible learning opportunities, facilitating advanced teaching methods and improving the overall quality of education.”

USP’s women empowerment initiative and provision of access to higher education also extend to women academics at the institution through a pathway that would ensure they progress through the academic ranks.

This is possible through the Vice-Chancellor’s Strategic Fund initiative, announced in March of this year.

The initiative will allow women on the thresholds of academic promotion to take time out from teaching to focus on their research and publications.

Meanwhile, the USP Solomon Islands campus is gearing up to welcome hundreds of high school students to its Open Day. The event is scheduled for 1 October 2024 at Lawson Tama.

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