Opposition Leader Manasseh Sogavare has urged caution over Prime Minister Mathew Wale’s recent pledge to introduce fee-free education in the Solomon Islands, warning that a rush to remove fees without matched investment could damage learning outcomes across the country.
Speaking to InDepth Solomons, Sogavare — a former prime minister and one-time finance minister — said any policy to eliminate school fees must be accompanied by “serious investment in school quality, teacher support, infrastructure and implementation capacity.” He cautioned that “it is one thing to promise free education. It is another thing to deliver quality education,” repeating concerns that delayed grants, inadequate learning materials, overcrowded classrooms and overstretched teachers would blunt the intended benefits.
Wale announced the fee-free education commitment just weeks after his election, injecting the education debate into government priorities. The opposition leader’s intervention is the latest development, signalling that implementation and resourcing will be scrutinised in parliament and public debate as the new administration moves from promise to policy design.
Budget figures cited by Sogavare underline the scale of the sector: the Solomon Islands allocates roughly USD 345 million to education, the largest share of a USD 622 million national budget for 2025. Yet Sogavare questioned whether the system could absorb additional enrolments without a decline in quality. About 16,000 children enter the school system each year, he noted, and higher participation driven by fee removal will increase pressure on already stretched infrastructure and staffing.
Sogavare called for collaborative planning among the government, families and school owners to strengthen the education system rather than relying solely on fee abolition. He stressed the need for reliable grant disbursement, adequate learning materials and measures to prevent classroom overcrowding — elements he said are essential if universal access is to translate into meaningful learning.
The opposition leader’s comments frame free education as a complex reform that requires detailed costing, phased implementation and monitoring to avoid unintended consequences. They mark a shift from headline commitments to technical scrutiny, and set up a policy tussle over priorities and funding as the Wale government prepares to turn its promise into concrete measures.
As the debate unfolds, attention will focus on whether the government can demonstrate how fee-free schooling would be financed and rolled out without compromising teacher workloads, school facilities and learning resources — the specific vulnerabilities Sogavare has highlighted.