PILLAR 9. MAKING FIJI A KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETY
Critical Problems and Issues:
- In the wake of the coups since 1987, and with persisting political instability and a growing sense of insecurity, our nation has lost, through emigration, substantial numbers of its experienced professionals and skilled workers. The skills gap that has emerged cannot be readily filled because new entrants to the labour force lack expertise, education, experience and training.
- Over 10% of Fiji’s children aged 5-14 years do not attend school. More than half the total numbers in final year of primary school do not progress to secondary education.
- The need to address access and equity issues to support social justice and promote unity and harmony. The difficulty of access because of poor infrastructure in rural and remote areas combined with the meagre incomes of most families are among the major factors contributing to the high dropout rates, and also the disparities in academic achievement between the poor in rural and urban areas and the welltodo families.
- Of the 16,000 students coming out of the school system, only about 8,000 are being absorbed in the formal job market.
The following key measures and actions must be taken with due priority and urgency :
- Ensure access to quality education for all.
- Establish a statutory body for Community and Non-Formal Learning.
- Establish a modular system of education.
- Establish a coherent national tertiary education system.
- Increase access to tertiary and higher education.
- Ensure improved overall quality of teaching and learning through better trained educators.
- Implement a progressive and responsive curriculum.
- Strengthen early childhood education, especially in the rural areas and the outer islands.
- Improve the financing of education.
- Enhance the skills base and vocational training.
- Introduce a system for the distribution of all education grants that specifically recognises and is based on the disadvantage of schools.
No comments:
Post a Comment