Solomon Islands: Adaptive leadership strategies in schools

Solomon Islands, a developing nation comprising an archipelago of 922 islands, is a sovereign state in Oceania and a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Given the geographical isolation of the islands, accessibility is a major obstacle to development, and remoteness makes it difficult for rural dwellers to gain access to efficient education and health services. The increasing population growth has already outpaced economic output, exerting escalating pressure on the economy and government resources. This has created major problems for the Government in its capacity to meet the needs of the poorer sectors of society as equitably as possible. There are also problems associated with ethnic conflict that occurred towards the end of the twentieth century. This chapter opens with an outline of the conflict. It goes on to describe some aspects of schooling that transpired during that period. It then examines current challenges for school leaders arising out of this context, as well as strategies being adopted