Education in Fiji

Education is a high priority in the country and the government has invested heavily in the past decade in making education more accessible and inclusive.

The Fiji Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts (MEHA) is developing a new strategic plan that will reflect the priorities from the National Development Plan 2036, be guided by regional and global education mandates, and include the voices and aspirations of all Fijians.

The country has 737 primary schools, 175 secondary schools, close to 900 early childhood education centers and 17 specialized schools.

The country's biggest challenge is in the development of interlinked coherent systems spanning all areas of education, which will lead to the creation of a more skilled and adaptable workforce, culminating in a knowledge-based society.

The MEHA's Strategic Plan 2019-2023 covers two main objectives: achieving the National Development Plan's goals and initiating sectoral reforms in education. It also addresses the six principles and four key areas of the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF).

Regional strategy: PacREF

In 2018, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat's Education Ministers, which Fiji is part of, adopted the PacREF 2018-2030: Moving Towards Education 2030. The documents outlines a transformative and sustainable regional education agenda aligned with global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4, and Education 2030: Incheon Declaration on Education for All Framework for Action.

The 12-year framework promotes equitable access to high quality education by all Pacific Islanders with a view to enable their countries to effectively deal with the development challenges facing the Pacific region. The framework also encourages inclusivity and opportunities for equal access to informal, primary, secondary, and tertiary education and training. It focuses particularly on education quality and the importance of working cooperatively in the region and beyond.

While Pacific countries integrate what they consider as the relevant parts of the PacREF Program into their national education policies, programs and practices, the Framework also provides a means for identifying and understanding similarities and differences across the region. It offers organizing mechanisms for sector planning, reporting and collaboration, and give development partners with an understanding of where the region's resourcing priorities lie.

The PacREF has 4 key policy areas to maximize gains in student learning outcomes and well-being:

  1. Quality and relevance: Provide all learners with a safe and supportive environment, within which they are offered high quality learning opportunities that are meaningful, valuable, inclusive and future-focused.
  2. Learning pathway: Provide all learners equal access to multiple and seamless pathways and modalities of learning that will allow them to meet their full potential.
  3. Student outcomes and wellbeing: Make sure all learners acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attributes to enable them to contribute to their families, communities and to nation building.
  4. The teaching profession: Support and empower teachers through opportunities for continuous development, shared understanding and accountability.

PacREF is divided into three 4-year phases to facilitate in-depth program review by the education ministers.

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Grants

All amounts are in US dollars.

Grant type Years Allocations Utilization Grant agent
System capacity 2022-2023 587,879 0 UNICEF
  Total 587,879 0  
Data last updated: May 26, 2023
Last updated June 14, 2022