Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro, stresses the importance of a collective approach in tackling drug use among students.

Radrodro highlights that the responsibility for addressing such social issues cannot rest solely with educational institutions but must also involve parents, guardians, and the wider community.

He adds students often arrive at school in vulnerable states, possibly due to challenges they face at home, such as lack of proper rest or nourishment.

The Minister believes this vulnerability can expose them to social ills, including drug use.

“We see in most cases that students, when they reach school, they are not in good condition because something must have happened at home. They must have not probably had tea, proper tea, or they did not have a proper rest in the night. So when they wake up in the morning, they come to school, and they are vulnerable to such social ills.”

Radrodro is calling on key societal institutions such as the vanua and the church to play an active role in addressing the challenges confronting Fiji’s education system.

He feels that it is a question for the entire community to work together in tackling these pressing social issues.