Achieve universal primary education
"In Fiji, the role of government in education is to provide an environment in which children realize their full potential."[1] Although the Fijian government takes care of education, schools are often managed by local committees, leading the structure of education to differ between towns and rural areas. "Village schools normally consist of just one room in which a single teacher does her best to educate 20 students...In towns class sizes are much bigger and one teacher may often be in charge of up to 50 students."[2]
Even though school is free for the first 8 years, the percentage of students completing primary education is diminishing. "Statistics show that almost all students were completing their primary education prior to the coup cycle."[3] The diminishing number of students completing primary education is a reflection of Fiji's political unrest. Due to security concerns and cost of transport less students are attending school. Poverty forces many students to drop out of education. "Around 20% of children in villages miss out on primary education altogether."[2]
According to the Greener Journal of Educational Research, "A recent study conducted in Fiji context showed that learning outcomes of rural primary children were considerably lower than their counterparts."[4] Many schools in rural communities are in poor condition and lacking basic materials. "In addition, teachers' lack of knowledge and skills in handling multi-class teaching could also be a contributing factor in the poor learning outcomes of rural children."[4] |
proposed
Because the two major causes of poor education is a lack of resources and a lack of teacher qualifications, the solution is simple, but not necessarily easy. "For effective teaching practices in rural schools, teachers need adequate professional preparation during their initial teacher education program and also ongoing education and training whilst they are in service."[5] However, no matter how prepared a teacher is, he or she may not be able to provide enriching learning and teaching experiences without the proper resources. Unless action is taken to improvement of school resources, such as up-to-date textbooks, and library facilities, limitations of children‘s learning will continue, especially in the rural areas. The availability of classroom resources will boost interest in both learning and teaching and children's understanding of various concepts and ideas will come more readily.