The Minister of Education Mr Filipe Bole says his ministry provides educational assistance for all children in Fiji.
The minister was responding to an article titled, ‘Sin alley’ which Fiji Times published on Wednesday, October 27. The article reported that “…. number of younger girls at the ages of 12 and 13 were soliciting themselves for reasons ranging from school requirements….”
“The article is very disturbing and I am disgusted that some parents are allowing their daughters to go to that extent for the purpose of meeting school requirements when Government is offering free assistance to education,” the minister said.
“Parents need to get in touch with the school they send their children to and find out what assistance is available. Government is providing free transport, free tuition and free textbooks.
“We also have a policy in place where no school is allowed to send any children home for non-payment of fees. Similarly, there is a policy that restricts schools from conducting more than one fundraising in a year. Schools need to seek permission from the ministry for additional fundraisings even for mufti days.”
In conclusion, the minister thanked Police for their vigilance and urged parents to focus on their families, especially daughters, for they are the future mothers of this country.
Filipe Bole
Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment.
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