FRIDAY 22 MARCH 2019 Knowing the roles and duties of a Member of Parliament or simply just learning about parliament in the classroom, became a life experience for 80 4th graders from the Kukum Seventh Day Adventist Primary, who visited the National Parliament earlier this week on Wednesday 20th March 2019. As part of their social science curriculum they learnt about Parliament and was the main purpose of their brief tour, which gave them more insight into the duties of Parliament. The Parliament Education department is responsible for conducting educational school tours. The school tours are a part of Parliaments ongoing education outreach program to help young people better understand the role of Parliamentary Democracy.

The aim of these school tours are to help young students appreciate the Westminster parliamentary system adopted from Britain, to help them understand the three different political groupings in Parliament and the processes in which a bill is debated and becomes a law. For the first time a “Role Play” activity was introduced as part of the school tour in which students were given the roles of MPs to which they also debated on a mock bill. The content and structure of tours are designed differently for Primary, Secondary and Tertiary students. The Kukum SDA student’s enjoyed their tour and asked a lot of questions relating to the role of the speaker, the sitting arrangements in the chamber and parliamentary terms.

It was an exciting and interactive experience for the young students. They learnt about the role of MPs at the same time given an opportunity to be one. These activities help students appreciate parliamentary democracy at an early age and hopefully when they grow up be more active citizens. Schools in and around Honiara are encouraged to write and request to visit. All school tours are free and open to schools, church groups and community groups.