BY LORETTA B MANELE
The youth of Solomon Islands is our greatest treasure says SINU Vice Chancellor, Dr Transform Aqorau.
Delivering the “New Academic Year Opening Address” earlier this month at Panatina campus, he shed light on the importance of youth participation across all sectors.
Aqorau said with the majority of Solomon Islanders under the age of 30, we are a young nation.
He said this also means that the decisions we make today, the investments we choose to prioritise and the values that we impart will echo for decades through the lives of this youthful nation.
“Our young people brim with potential.
“I see it every day in the geekiness of students on our campuses, in the ambition of young professionals starting their careers, in the creativity of our youth groups and communities,” said Aqorau.
He emphasised that he also sees the challenges young people face which vary from shortage of jobs, the lures of harmful behaviours, to sometimes the disillusionment with the face of change.
In this regard, Aqorau said we owe our youth not only hope, but concrete pathways to help them achieve their dreams.
And while one pathway is education, mentorship and leadership are other pathways.
Aqorau said this is why SINU and other institutions must engage the youth as partners and not just as recipients.
He said that at SINU, they have made it a point to include student representation in decision-making.
“Student representatives now sit on faculty boards and pending enactment soon in the University Senate.
“Their voices matter in shaping academic life,” he said.
On a national level, Aqorau said he would like to encourage government and the private sector to also include young people in advisory roles in dialogue, noting that whether it is about climate policy or digital strategy, fresh ideas often come from the young.
He also said there is need to cultivate leadership potential in young people.
Aqorau said leadership is not reserved for those with titles as it can be practised by anyone with vision and intent.
“We must provide platforms for youth leadership. We need to include youth parliaments, student associations or community projects where they take charge. And we must model the leadership we wish them to emulate,” he said.
Aqorau also put out a message for leaders.
He said our young people learn more from what leaders do than what leaders say.
“If we see leaders behaving selfishly or without principle, they will believe that it is acceptable.
“But if we see leaders living out service leadership, acting with integrity and working hard for the people, they will be inspired to do the same,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor said as one writer noted, leading by example is perhaps the greatest lesson we can leave for future leaders.
“Let us embody this national mantra into our actions so that, convincingly, the next generation cannot help but follow suit,” he said.
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