District leader calls for probe into school dropouts

A district leader in Bua has called for an investigation into claims that some students have dropped out of school and are now staying idle in their villages.

Mata-ni-Tikina of Nadi in Bua Province, Timoci Wainiqolo, raised the concern after claiming that some students had dropped out of Immaculate Conception College, commonly known as Solevu Secondary School.

Mr Wainiqolo alleged that the students left school during Term Two this year and called on the school committee to investigate the matter.

"If our students are not educated, it is a burden to the province, district, village and their families".

Mr Wainiqolo said he was concerned about seeing children in the district walking around during school hours and engaging in unproductive activities.

He plans to raise the issue at the district meeting on October 30.

"Education is a requirement and a tool for financial progress and without it, we are creating a generation of illiterate youths with low chances of securing employment opportunities," he reiterated.

Call for investigation

Mr Wainiqolo called on the Ministry of Education to investigate how many students had dropped out of school and determine the reasons behind their decisions.

He said students leaving formal education could become involved in informal activities and warned of the potential risks this could create.

"Parents need to be interviewed of what had caused such a state where education was now longer prioritised," he explained.

When asked whether there were any drug-related cases involving children in his district, Mr Wainiqalo said there were none at present.

However, he feared drugs could eventually affect students who had dropped out and were no longer engaged in formal education.

Mr Wainiqalo said parental negligence towards children's educational needs could be a factor.

He called on community and village elders to work with parents to determine why some students had dropped out.

Ministry

Assistant Minister for Education Iliesa Vanawalu said his office had not received any specific concerns about the alleged school dropouts.

However, he did not rule out the possibility of such an issue and said the divisional education officer would be better placed to determine whether a complaint had been received.