Approximately 4,589 students left the formal education system before finishing primary education, and 5,726 dropped out before completing Year 10 between 2019 and 2023. This information was shared by Education Minister Aseri Radrodro in response to a question from Opposition MP Hem Chand during a recent Parliamentary session.
Minister Radrodro noted that the reasons for school dropouts are varied and complex. He explained that the ministry leverages data from the Fiji Education Management Information System (FEMIS) to track patterns of absenteeism, identify children with learning challenges, and gather insights from teachers and child protection officers about issues like family difficulties, migration, domestic violence, and legal troubles that may affect students.
In addition, schools may also receive information from the Substance Abuse Advisory Council regarding students in need of additional support. Radrodro emphasized that addressing these dropout rates requires a collaborative effort from government agencies, civil society, religious organizations, families, and communities to support the Ministry of Education.
While the specific dropout reasons are not always recorded in FEMIS, common issues reported at the school level include death, migration, transitions from public to private schooling, informal work, and medical conditions.
In his response, Mr. Chand expressed alarm at the dropout statistics, emphasizing their significance to the future of Fiji. He highlighted that since the introduction of the Free Education Grant a decade ago, the government has invested around $650 million to support numerous educational institutions across the country. He warned that if the current government does not tackle the school dropout issue effectively, there may be a rise in youth crime, as he observed teenagers vulnerable to street life instead of being in school.
Chand also voiced concerns about the growing presence of drugs in schools and called for the Ministry of Education to adopt innovative strategies while collaborating closely with parents, educators, and various stakeholders to combat these challenges.