|
|
Issue No: 651; 3 April 2001
The high dropout rate from schools for ethnic Fijian students worries the officials in the Qarase regime. According to today's Daily Post, only 11% of the ethnic Fijian students entering primary school reach the seventh form, while 27% of ethnic Indian students managed to do so. The high dropout rate has been the legacy of the 30-year reign of ethnic Fijian leaders in the country. The Alliance Party ruled Fiji for 17 years since independence; a military regime ruled for 5 years, and the SVT ruled for 7 years. During these times, millions of dollars of public funds were pumped into ethnic Fijian education with the result being an 89% dropout rate for ethnic Fijian students. The People's Coalition Government, on the other hand, which was in power for only one year, had initiated a major review of the education system. But the Commission established to do the review was not allowed to complete the project after 19 May. The final report was doctored by the regime's officials and used to justify pumping in many more millions into ethnic Fijian education. Now the regime has announced that as a part of its plan to boost ethnic Fijian education, it wants ethnic Fijian students to pray daily in schools. Meanwhile ethnic Fijian landlords continue to demand massive
`goodwill' payments from schools for the use of their land for educational
purposes. Numerous schools have had their classes disrupted when villagers
forcefully entered the schools and closed them. Not a single villager has been
charged to date with the offence of criminal entry, intimidation, and trespass. |
|
People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
