Pacific

Solomons opposition doubts MDG achievements

18:14 pm on 9 June 2011

The opposition in Solomon Islands is questioning whether the government is on track to achieve the country's millennium development goals by 2015.

A report has just been launched measuring the country's progress towards achieving the goals set at a United Nations summit in 2000.

One of the report's findings was that good progress has been made towards achieving universal primary education.

The opposition leader Derek Sikua says when he was the prime minister of the previous government it allocated five million dollars a year towards a fee-free policy.

He says that contrasts with the current government.

"This government in this year's development estimates has not allocated any money at all as we have been doing the last three years and so that's one thing that brings a question to my mind as to how they are going to work towards improving access to universal primary education."

Dr Sikua says the government's policies is not specific enough on goals such as decreasing child mortality.