BY SHOREYANN RAGOSO
Agnes Te’e, 54 years old, has spent 31 years in teaching in Solomon Islands. She is a married mother of three grown children and a grandmother of four. Looking back at her long journey, she says her career was shaped by family hopes and unexpected chances that came along the way.
Her long journey in education has inspired many young teachers in Solomon Islands. She often shares that teaching is not only a job but a service to the community. She believes that patience, discipline, and love for students are important values for every teacher therefore.
She comes from the southern part of Malaita Province. She first chose teaching so she could one day educate her own children. She began her career as a home economics teacher. At that time, she never thought she would become a principal, but she slowly gained experience and responsibility.
While teaching, she led the home economics department. She managed other teachers and helped organize school programs. Her supervisors noticed her strong work and leadership ability. Without applying, she was recommended for higher roles.
In 2016 she was promoted, and in 2017 she became Principal of Naha Community High School. Later, she moved to Mbokonavera Community High School, where she served for nine years. She now reflects on how unexpected her leadership journey was.
“I’m a hardworking teacher, that could be the reason those leaders during that time, my supervisors during that year, recommended me to have this post as a principal, and here I am today, my 10th year holding the principal post,” Te’e told SOLOMON WOMEN.
As a principal, she has to balance school leadership and family life. She is a mother and grandmother, and she sometimes faces pressure between work and home responsibilities. She tries to focus on urgent tasks so she can still spend time with her family.
She explains that being a female leader requires strong time management and emotional strength. Even when school problems are heavy, she tries to remain calm and focused. She believes that setting priorities helps her handle both family and professional duties successfully in daily life today.
At Mbokonavera Community High School, students come from many parts of Honiara. She faces challenges such as drug issues, including cocaine use among some students. Teacher absenteeism is also a problem, especially among adult staff.
To address these issues, she focuses on discipline and daily mentoring. She says student behavior has improved since 2018. School policies are now clearer and more strictly followed.
“it’s a great improvement in student discipline. It’s not easy it’s a daily job that we teachers do, and that’s how we overcome them,” says Te’e.
She also introduced systems to improve teacher performance. Teachers must clock in, prepare lesson plans, and attend weekly professional development from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. Open discussions also help reduce absenteeism.
She describes her leadership style as “transformative.” She believes change happens when teachers, parents, students, and the community work together. She also values feedback and criticism.
To keep teachers active, lesson preparation must be completed before the school day ends. She believes this helps improve teaching quality and makes school run smoothly.
She also talks about education challenges in Solomon Islands. She supports government policy for free education for all children. But she says classrooms in Honiara are too crowded.
She notes that many students move from provinces to Honiara for education, which increases pressure on city schools.
She suggests teachers trained at Solomon Islands National University should return to their home provinces to teach.
“I think EP should be serious about this. Share the teachers equally to the provinces. I see most of the qualified teachers are just here in Honiara, they left the classrooms of the province empty.”
She also believes better resources in rural schools can help reduce movement of students to the capital.
Finally, she encourages women teachers. She says leadership is possible even without high degrees if people work hard and perform well.
She also mentors young teachers in her school, guiding them to improve their classroom skills and confidence. Many of them look up to her as a role model who shows that dedication and hard work can lead to leadership opportunities today.
“I’m a diploma holder, and if I can have this chair of a principal post, why not you? You have the qualification.”
She urges teachers to take their roles seriously at every level.
“I encourage you to work your best, work hard, and perform in whatever small role that you are assigned to. Prove yourself you have potentials in yourself,” Te’e said.
