SUVA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Fiji is facing a serious education crisis, with 28 percent of upper secondary-aged youth currently out of school, said the country's Education Minister Aseri Radrodro on Friday.
Radrodro said the statistics translate to around 13,000 students, with a 39-percent dropout rate between Year 8 and Year 12, and 23.7 percent of youth aged 15 to 24 not engaged in education, employment, or training.
Disconnection from learning increases the risk of social harm, such as unemployment, crime, substance abuse, poor mental health and intergenerational hardship, the minister said.
However, he said the ministry has been building solutions like the Matua Programme, which has offered second-chance education for over two decades.
He added that the ministry will work with other partners to create a national pathway system that prevents dropouts, re-engages out-of-school youth, and transitions them into further learning, entrepreneurship, and employment. ■