Teacher training guides finalised at UNESCO workshop incorporate 21st century skills

Transversal competencies, also known as 21st century skills, refer to a range of actions, skills and behaviour patterns across the cognitive and social domains that enable an individual to manage different aspects of their lives constructively. These include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication.

In partnership with UNESCO, staff from the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and Ministry of Education and Human Resource Department identified the six transversal skills from the UNESCO Transversal Competencies Framework that they considered to be most relevant and culturally appropriate for the Solomon Islands context.

These six competencies have been dubbed the '6C' for short. They are: Character, Citizenship, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and, lastly, Creativity and Entrepreneurship.

'The 6C are life competencies, observed the Head of School for Education and Humanities, Dr John Lenga Sisiolo. 'When teacher trainees are familiarised with the 6C through these courses and perhaps more of them in the future, we are preparing future teachers in the Solomon Islands to nurture a generation that can think critically, collaborate meaningfully and contribute to a sustainable future'.

The 6C align with the Pacific All Life Skills, which set out to integrate cognitive skills into teaching and learning. The term 'all life skills' was coined by Pacific education leaders during the Conference of Education Ministers in March 2023. At the time, the participants reiterated the need to focus on 'all life skills' to ensure that the young would be prepared for the world of work and equipped to become informed citizens.

The Pacific All Life Skills have been developed under the Pacific Education Regional Framework implemented since 2021 by UNESCO, UNICEF, the University of the South Pacific, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the Australia Pacific Training Coalition.

This Framework is producing regional products for use by national education systems. These goods cover a wide range of areas, including curricula and training materials for teachers and policy-makers, along with education strategies and policies.