For families of Oliveti, education has become more than just a way to learn.

It has become a way to grow, and as their children continue to walk the mountainous paths to live with relatives in coastal communities to attend school, they carry with them the belief that they, too, can change the world with one lesson at a time.

Settled far from access to education, children from Oliveti community have to leave their parents behind at an early age to go and live with relatives in coastal communities just so they could have a chance at a better and brighter future.

Situated in the centre of the North West Choiseul, Choiseul Province in the Solomon Islands, Oliveti community has been facing a crisis that echoes a growing challenge in many remote areas: the absence of a local school.

The community is without a school of its own and situated in the remote bushlands of North West Choiseul, for them, this means walking far to access education in coastal communities.

Oliveti community is also very much isolated, making it nearly impossible for a school to be established there.

The mountainous landscape presents significant challenges for development, forcing parents to send their children to attend school which means trekking along the rough track for a four-to-six-hour journey to school.

For many children, the journey to school is often one of both physical and emotional endurance.

“I attended Voza Primary School, completing classes one to five. However, after, I decided to quit because of the long way from home and staying away from my parents. But if a school is established here at Oliveti, I will resume my education. I’m more than willing to attend school,” 16-year-old Madalyn Vatokomala recalled.

Despite the hardships, parents in Oliveti view education as the best opportunity for their children to build a better future.

Two of the schools in the coastal communities that the children attend are Voza and Sasamunga Primary and Senior Secondary Schools.

Given the distance, many children have to live with relatives in coastal communities during the school term and become part of their relatives’ households without returning to their families in the village. It is a sacrifice that the children, as well as their families, make to secure an education.

“I went to live with my relatives in the coastal communities to attend education since my childhood, Jackson Qusakesa recollected. As a kid, life was tough, unlike living with your parents. When you return home, you can do anything, cook food or feel free to do as you wish. But living with relatives is different.

“I want a school to be established here so that our children can receive education. That is our plea. The majority of the youths here do not attend school. So, I wish a school is built here,” Mr Qusakesa, who completed his form five at Sasamunga and wishes to pursue his education journey in a Rural Training Centre (RTC), expressed.

While families push for their children to attend schools, it wasn’t always easy. The geography of Oliveti poses a real barrier to education.

“The only way to show support to our children is to send them to live with our relatives on the coast and to visit them as often, walking miles to attend their end-of-year programs and bring them home or whenever we can, bring food or little money for them,” said 53-Nathan Rapekesa.

Until then, families in Oliveti will continue to make the difficult decision of sending their children away, hoping that one day, their children will no longer have to leave their homes in search of education. The need for a school is not just a desire but a pressing necessity for the future of their children and their community.

*Reporting for this story was supported by Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS)

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