MORE than 22,000 students have been affected because 52 schools failed to comply with Education Ministry financial requirements.
This was revealed by Education Ministry finance director Thomas Prasad during the Fiji Principals Association conference in Nadi last week.
The lack of compliance has meant free education grants to schools are withheld or delayed until schools meet the ministry’s requirements.
Mr Prasad said the ministry was allocated $675million for the 2025-2026 financial year, with $40m set aside for the back-to-school assistance program.
“Here in this conference are heads of schools of 179 institutions. You represent 73,975 students across the nation,” he said.
“However, with that said, I like to hereby officially tell you where we have gaps in regards to our financial compliance. As of term three, with those students I have mentioned, the compliance that we have, we have 52 schools that have not complied as of now. And that has affected 22,000 students.
“So, the question I would like to ask you being selected as leaders, do you have the competence skills to be sitting in your schools. I won’t mention the schools, you know who you are.”
He commended those who had complied, saying it ensured students received the resources they needed for term three.
Mr Prasad also disclosed statistics for the non-compliant schools and told principals they needed to “pull up their socks”.
“For the 22,000 students non-compliance schools, for Cakaudrove six institutions, for Eastern 10 institutions, Lautoka and Yasawa 11, Macuata and Bua one institution. For Nadroga and Navosa three, Nausori six, Ra three and Suva being the largest with 13 institutions.
“We are here attending the conference, and this conference allows us to understand that we need to pull up our socks in regard to non-compliance with the Free Education Grant (FEG).”
