A growing education crisis is gripping Ba Province, with more than 21,000 children of school age not enrolled, according to Ba Provincial Council chairman Ratu Meli Tora.
Speaking at the launch of an educational empowerment initiative in Lautoka, Ratu Meli warned that the figures reflect a troubling trend of lost potential and deferred dreams.
“Recent data from 2023 suggests this number has risen to over 21,000-plus,” he said.
A village profiling report conducted in 2019 for the province of Ba revealed that 18,271 children of schooling age were not in school.
Ratu Meli pointed to rural-urban drift, economic struggles, and family breakdowns as contributing factors, with young women facing additional barriers like early pregnancies and domestic duties.
Ratu Meli made the comments while addressing the enumerators who were part of a two-day training for the Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei ni Yasana Ko Ba’s (SSViT) empowerment through education project training that is underway at the Tanoa Waterfront Hotel in Lautoka.
“This is more than just statistics; it represents dreams deferred, potential lost and families struggling to provide a better future for their children.
“We must confront the reality that thousands of our young boys and girls are being left behind, disconnected from education, and excluded from opportunities to thrive.
“The reasons behind this issue are complex and multifaceted. Rural-urban drift, family breakdowns, economic hardships, and the lack of access to vocational training all contribute to this growing problem.”
He said the challenges were even more pronounced for young women with early pregnancies, domestic responsibilities, and cultural expectations acting as barriers to their education.
“Research also shows that there’s a definite link between teen substance abuse and what we do in school. Teens who abuse drugs have low grades, the high rate of absence from school and other activities increases the potential for dropping out of school.
In an initiative supported in partnership with the Fiji National University, Fiji Bureau of Statistics and funding agency Brot für die Welt, the Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei ni Yasana Ko Ba (SSViT) is training 18 to 19 enumerators that will travel to pilot locations in the province to gather data on the rate of school dropouts.
While officiating as chief guest on Monday, Ratu Meli said data collected would support the implementation of the Empowerment through Education project.
