Educators strive to incorporate 6Cs into the Initial Teacher Education Program

In an effort to incorporate the concept of 6Cs into teaching, a workshop on Integrating the concept into teacher training in the Solomon Islands was organized for educators on 24 July 2024 at the Mendana Kitano Hotel. The workshop would run for five days.

Facilitated by Professor Esther Care from the University of Melbourne and organized by Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and UNESCO, the workshop aims to provide knowledge and tools necessary to effectively incorporate 6Cs into teacher training in the country.

The 6Cs are; (1) Critical thinking, (2) Collaboration, (3) Communication, (4) Creativity, (5) Character and (6) Citizenship.

Addressing at the opening of the workshop, Permanent Secretary Dr Franco Rodie said his ministry’s focus on achieving the competences of thinking critically, having collaborative practices, conducting clear communication, developing creativity, strengthening character and developing good citizenship have evolved significantly.

He recognized that while his ministry made great strides in moving from broad terms like ‘knowledge, skills, values’ to specific capabilities, there is still a need for detailed definitions and descriptions of these skills.

He said, according to global research, it shows that these competences can mean different things to different people, even within the same culture, and so the workshop is aiming to address these needs.

Dr Rodie also highlighted the efforts MEHRD is implementing towards addressing these needs, with guidance from the Education Strategic Framework 2016-2030, Learners Assessment Policy, National Curriculum Statement 2012, Learning Framework 2024 and Education Act 2023.

Despite these efforts, he said the gaps remain in our policy and standards documents for teachers. For instance, the whole Educator Professional Development Framework (MEHRD, 2023) outlines pedagogical and educational philosophies compatible with transversal competencies, but lacks specific details on how to integrate these skills into teaching practices. The workshop targeted the education lecturers from the Faculty of Education and Humanities of the Solomon Islands National University and MEHRD officers from the Curriculum Development and Teacher Professional Development Divisions.

The importance of the 6Cs of education was highlighted so was the purpose of educational institutions in preparing student teachers to teach students the 6Cs in primary and secondary schools. It is recognized that much effort is required to prepare young people to become creative, analytical as well as possess problem-solving skills plus the ability to adapt to change. Dr Rodie reiterated that teachers in the country need to foster new skills in the classroom – skills of the 6Cs of education.

He stated that the workshop would equip lecturers at the Faculty of Education and Humanities with practical examples and methods to foster the concept of 6Cs into teaching to transform our education system and provide our students with skills they need to succeed in their future endeavors.

-MEHRD MEDIA RELEASE