The Education Ministry is establishing a database to investigate the significant dropout rate of students transitioning from primary to secondary schools and to determine the whereabouts of these dropouts. Permanent Secretary for Education Selina Kuruleca presented this initiative to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, which examined the Ministry’s annual reports from 2018 to 2021.
Kuruleca highlighted a concerning statistic: the number of students decreases from 150,640 in primary school to just 66,000 in secondary school, indicating a loss of 50 to 60 percent of the student population at this stage. “Where have these children gone? That is the question,” she remarked.
Currently, under the Coalition Government, efforts are underway to enhance the Fiji Education Management Information System (FEMIS) to include an exit dropdown menu for tracking students. This feature could help identify where students go after leaving the system, offering various scenarios such as moving abroad, choosing not to attend school, passing away, or having medical issues that prevent them from continuing their education.
While anecdotal evidence provides some insights, Kuruleca noted the absence of a reliable system to capture comprehensive data. The Ministry is collaborating closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia and local IT experts to address this gap.