Primary Education
Primary education covers a formal span of 7 years. The preparatory year prior to standard 1 is regarded as part of primary education. In addition there are 6 years following the preparatory year, starting at standard 1 and ending at standard 6 with a terminal examination. This span makes a total of 7 years primary education in all. These 7 years constitute the basic-education program of the Solomon Islands. A child is expected to commence at the age of 6 or 7 and continue for 7 years. The overall purpose of primary education is to develop children's literacy and numeracy skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and computational skills) and other skills and understandings that prepare young people to take part in society. These other skills and understandings include skills in science, social sciences, community studies, agriculture, art, music, and physical education. Generally, primary education appears to be available to the majority of children in the Solomon Islands, although 6% of the primary-school-age population do not attend school. It is worth noting that geographical and settlement patterns in the Solomon Islands greatly affect the question of access. The islands are rugged and divided by huge stretches of sea and people live in small rural or coastal settlements. Many pupils have to walk or paddle long distances to attend school. Transport systems too are not very good, especially in rural areas. Besides, the weather is intolerable at times. These are unavoidable factors, which hinder access to primary education in Solomon Islands. However, the government and other authorities are doing all they can to minimize these factors, which have caused negative impact on universal access to primary education.