Fiji Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Education === {{Further|Education in Fiji}} Fiji has a high literacy rate (91.6 percent), and although there is no compulsory education, more than 85 percent of the children between the ages of 6 and 13 attend primary school. Schooling is free and provided by both [[Government of Fiji|public]] and church-run schools. Generally, the Fijian and Hindu children attend separate schools, reflecting the political split that exists in the nation.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/466/Fiji.html|title=Fiji|website=education.stateuniversity.com|language=en|access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+Education system in Fiji<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.scholaro.com/pro/countries/Fiji/Education-system|title=Fiji Education System|website=www.scholaro.com|access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref> !Education !School/level !Grades !Years !Notes |- |Primary |Primary education |1β8 |8 |Education is not compulsory but is free through the first eight years. Schools from pre-school to secondary are mostly managed by either the government, religion (Catholic, Methodist, Sabha or Muslim) or provinces. |- |Secondary |Secondary education |9β13 |5 |Courses include carpentry, metalwork, woodwork, home economics, agricultural science, economics, accounting, biology, chemistry, physics, history, geography. English and maths are compulsory. |- | rowspan="3" |Tertiary |Diploma programs | |2 | rowspan="3" |Higher education is offered at technical institutes and is structured around two-year diploma programs. There are also four or five-year professional degree programs in specific fields. |- |Bachelor's degree | |3β5 |- |Master's degree | |1β3 |} ==== Primary education ==== In Fiji, the role of government in education is to provide an environment in which children realise their full potential, and school is free from age 6 to 14. The primary school system consists of eight years of schooling and is attended by children from the ages of 6 to 14 years. Upon completion of primary school, a certificate is awarded and the student is eligible to take the secondary school examination.<ref name=":3" /> ==== Secondary education ==== High school education may continue for a total of five years following an entry examination. Students either leave after three years with a Fiji school leaving certificate, or remain on to complete their final two years and qualify for tertiary education.<ref name=":4" /> Entry into the secondary school system, which is a total of five years, is determined by a competitive examination. Students passing the exam then follow a three-year course that leads to the Fiji School Leaving Certificate and the opportunity to attend senior secondary school. At the end of this level, they may take the Form VII examination, which covers four or five subjects. Successful completion of this process gains students access to higher education.<ref name=":3" /> ==== Tertiary education ==== The [[University of the South Pacific]], called the crossroads of the South Pacific because it serves ten English-speaking territories in the South Pacific, is the major provider of higher education. Admission to the university requires a secondary school diploma, and all students must take a one-year foundation course at the university regardless of their major. Financing for the university is derived from school fees, funds from the Fiji government and other territories, and aid from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In addition to the university, Fiji also has teacher-training colleges, as well as [[Medicine|medical]], [[Technology|technological]], and [[Agriculture|agricultural]] schools. Primary school teachers are trained for two years, whereas secondary [[Teacher|school teachers]] train for three years; they then have the option to receive a diploma in education or read for a bachelor's degree in arts or science and continue for an additional year to earn a [[postgraduate certificate]] of education. The Fiji Polytechnic School offers training in various trades, apprenticeship courses, and other courses that lead to diplomas in [[engineering]], [[Hotel, Catering and Personal Services Union|hotel catering]], and [[business studies]]. Some of the course offerings can also lead to several City and Guilds of [[London Institute]] Examinations. In addition to the traditional educational system, Fiji also offers the opportunity to obtain an education through distance learning. The University Extension Service provides centres and a network of terminals in most regional areas. For students taking non-credit courses, no formal qualifications are necessary. However, students who enroll in the credit courses may be awarded the appropriate degree or certificate upon successful completion of their studies through the extension services. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page