Concerns have arisen over the outcome of this year’s Fiji Year Eight Examination, where nearly half of the 19,300 students registered failed to meet the pass criteria. The Ministry of Education reported a pass rate of only 69%, which reflects a modest increase of two percent compared to last year. This result leaves over 6,000 students on track to progress to Year Nine despite not achieving a passing grade.
Paula Manumanunitoga, the general secretary of the Fijian Teachers Association, described the results as “close to pathetic” and urged educators and policymakers to reevaluate their strategies moving forward. According to him, all parties involved—from teachers to ministry officials—should thoroughly assess the educational challenges and implement effective measures to improve future results.
Manumanunitoga highlighted a critical issue regarding parental involvement in education, noting that many parents do not actively support or supervise their children’s studies. He emphasized the importance of parents treating education with seriousness, rather than viewing it as a trivial matter.
He also criticized a controversial policy from the previous government that allows students to advance to higher levels of education without having to repeat a year, attributing the problem to students being unprepared for more advanced academic challenges. Manumanunitoga noted alarming statistics from ministry data, revealing that between 2019 and 2023, 5,726 students dropped out before completing Year Ten and another 4,589 left before finishing primary school.
In addition to these challenges, he pointed out the chaos caused by frequent changes in the curriculum over the past decade, which he believes has added to the confusion among teachers.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka echoed these sentiments, expressing dissatisfaction with the current no-repeat policy and suggesting a need to revisit it. He acknowledged the necessity of developing a more effective curriculum to address the ongoing issues reflected in the exam results.
While the Ministry of Education could not provide comments at the time, this conversation opens the door for potential reforms that could lead to better educational outcomes for the future.
Optimistically, these discussions signal a growing recognition of the challenges facing Fiji’s education system and a willingness from stakeholders to collaborate on solutions. By actively addressing these issues, there is hope for meaningful improvements in student performance in the coming years.
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