Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the no-repeat policy wastes government and parents’ resources.
Speaking candidly about his concerns over the policy that allows students to advance irrespective of their examination results, Mr Rabuka said he was concerned this could affect the academic performance of future generations.
“Kevaka e sa na vatau taki tu ena veitarogi na vuli oti ya me sa qai tu tale tu na lewa ni matanitu o pasi se sega o toso ga sa dua na vaoti lavo levu e da cakava tiko na i tubutubu kei na matanitu.
“If we leave education (of our children) to depend solely on exam results while we have Government’s no repeat policy where you pass or fail you still advance, then parents and Government are wasting so much money,” said Mr Rabuka to a group of children that visited his residence on Christmas Eve.
“E ra toso toso tikoga me ra qai lai cava?
“They keep advancing and advancing and then what happens?
“Oqo na vanua o keda nai tubutubu me da vaitavi ena nodra tuberi na gone.”
“This is where parents must step in to help guide their children.”
Mr Rabuka said another issue could be the number of qualified teachers.
“E ra sa rawa ka vaka vuli e sega ga ni macala e ra vakatavulici me ra vakatavulici se sega.
“They have the qualification but we are not sure if they have been taught to teach.
“Whether they are qualified to teach, we do not know.”
The Prime Minister has been vocal about the removal of the no repeat policy which many academics and stakeholders have labelled as one of the reasons for the low passing rates of students sitting for external exams.
Earlier this month, Education Minister Aseri Radrodro has said his ministry would be preparing a Cabinet paper for the removal of the no-repeat policy.
In the last Parliament sitting, Mr Radrodro had announced the recruitment policy for students starting Year 9 in 2025 would be reviewed following the 69 per cent pass rate of students who sat the FEYE this year.
A total of 19,396 students sat for FEYE last year which meant approximately 13,383 students passed their exams while 6012 students failed.
