As preparations continue for the 54th Oceania Comparative and International Education Society (OCIES) Conference at Solomon Islands National University (SINU), OCIES is delighted to introduce the conference co-convenors: Dr Patricia Rodie and Dr Billy Fito’o.
Together, they bring extensive experience in educational leadership, Pacific scholarship, research development, and community engagement across the Solomon Islands and wider Oceania region. Their leadership reflects the growing strength of Pacific-led scholarship and the important role Solomon Islands researchers and educators continue to play in shaping educational futures across the region.
The 54th OCIES Conference, themed “Reimagining Education in Oceania: Indigenous Knowledge, Equity, and Sustainable Futures,” will take place in Honiara from 24–26 November 2026, beginning with NERO Day on 23 November.
For both Dr Rodie and Dr Fito’o, hosting the conference represents more than simply organising an academic gathering. It is also an opportunity to centre Pacific perspectives, strengthen regional research relationships, and showcase the important educational work emerging from the Solomon Islands.
Dr Patricia Rodie currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Education and Humanities at SINU.
A highly respected Solomon Islands educator and academic leader, Dr Rodie has played a significant role in the development of tertiary education within the Solomon Islands over many years. Her career spans leadership positions across both the former Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) and SINU, including roles as Head of School of Education, Deputy Director of SICHE, and Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic at SINU before later joining the University of the South Pacific Solomon Islands Campus as lecturer and Acting Campus Director.
Dr Rodie completed her PhD in Education at University of Waikato and has published widely within education and leadership fields.
Across her work, one of the strongest themes has been the importance of locally grounded educational leadership and strengthening education systems that respond meaningfully to Solomon Islands realities and community contexts.
This commitment is particularly visible in her recent public scholarship and leadership work.
In 2025, Dr Rodie delivered a keynote presentation at the Solomon Islands Principals’ Conference focused on village-based education and the importance of grounding educational thinking within community realities and Indigenous knowledge systems. She has also spoken publicly about the ongoing digital divide and technological access challenges facing Solomon Islands education systems, highlighting the uneven realities of infrastructure and access across the country.
Within SINU itself, Dr Rodie has continued championing academic quality, curriculum redevelopment, and staff development initiatives aimed at strengthening the Faculty of Education and Humanities.
Joining Dr Rodie as conference co-convenor is Dr Billy Fito’o, Associate Professor in Education Leadership at SINU.
Dr Fito’o’s work sits at the intersection of education leadership, citizenship education, governance, and Pacific social and political thought.
Originally from the Solomon Islands, Dr Fito’o has built a strong scholarly profile across the Pacific region through research examining citizenship education, governance, social cohesion, and educational transformation within Pacific contexts.
His earlier research explored citizenship education within the Solomon Islands social studies curriculum, critically examining how education shapes civic participation, national identity, and understandings of citizenship in postcolonial Pacific contexts.
More recently, Dr Fito’o has contributed to wider regional discussions surrounding governance, justice, and Pacific futures. During a 2025 SINU research delegation visit to universities in Queensland, he reflected on how colonial histories and the fragmentation of island groups under colonial administration continue to shape contemporary governance challenges across the Solomon Islands.
His work consistently highlights the importance of Pacific-led scholarship and cross-disciplinary approaches that connect education to broader social, historical, and political realities.
Dr Fito’o has also been actively involved in strengthening Pacific research collaborations and regional academic partnerships, including initiatives connecting Solomon Islands researchers with universities and research centres across Oceania and Australia.
A Pacific-Led Conference for Oceania
Together, Dr Patricia Rodie and Dr Billy Fito’o bring a powerful combination of educational leadership, regional scholarship, institutional experience, and community engagement to the 54th OCIES Conference.
Their leadership also reflects the continuing growth of Pacific-centred comparative and international education across Oceania.
Since the Society’s transition from ANZCIES to OCIES, the organisation has increasingly sought to create more inclusive and regionally grounded scholarly spaces where Pacific and Indigenous perspectives are centred rather than peripheral.
Hosting OCIES 2026 in the Solomon Islands continues this important regional journey.
As Dr Rodie reflected during the formal acceptance of the conference hosting responsibilities at the 53rd OCIES Conference in Christchurch, hosting the conference represents not only an academic achievement, but also “a national moment” affirming the contribution of smaller Pacific states to education, research, and regional dialogue.
In many ways, the leadership of Dr Rodie and Dr Fito’o embodies the spirit of the upcoming conference itself:
reimagining education in Oceania through Indigenous knowledge, equity, sustainability, collaboration, and Pacific-led futures.