School Leadership Education in Solomon Islands

This chapter deals with innovation in conception, delivery and outcome in an in-service teacher training program in Solomon Islands. Through a case study of the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership (GCSL), the authors navigate the choppy waters between ‘normal practice' in donor-aid supported educational initiatives and the results of taking an innovative local, and in this case, island-centred route. As a result, the case study offers a pathway towards a contextualised answer to the question posed early in independent Solomon Islands education, ‘Education for What?'. The chapter begins by offering background information on Solomon Islands land, history and thought. The authors then provide the case study, dealing with institutional matters, delivery, content and outcomes. Finally, a discussion of what can be learned from the case study is given relevant to Solomon Islands, the Pacific region and beyond.