Teachers, nurses flee Fiji in search of stability, MPs say

Fiji's teachers and nurses are leaving for Australia and New Zealand because they no longer see a future in a system that does not value them.

This was highlighted by Opposition Member of Parliament Joseph Nand in Parliament on Tuesday.

Speaking during debate on the President's Address, Mr Nand said the brain drain had become one of the most serious threats facing Fiji.

He claimed those leaving were looking for stability that the Coalition Government had failed to provide.

"They see a system where equipment is broken, where development is stagnant, and where team training is an afterthought."

Fellow Opposition MP Virendra Lal echoed those concerns, saying the signs of Fiji's struggle were visible in daily life — the exodus of young people being among the most telling.

Opposition MP Ketan Lal went further, saying every time a young professional boarded a plane at Nadi Airport with a one-way ticket, it was not just a personal decision.

"It is a vote of no confidence in the direction this Coalition Government has taken the country," he said.

Mr Lal said the brain drain that the Opposition had long warned about had only accelerated under the current Government, with investors' confidence also weakening alongside it.

Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj added that young people were leaving because they did not see a future in the current labour market.

"We hear of a vision for decent work, yet our youth continue to migrate in unprecedented demographic shifts," he said.