Former Education Minister Ro Teimumu Kepa has criticized the decision to replace vocational centres with technical colleges, claiming the shift has left many youths ill-equipped for the workforce.

She also said the no-repeat policy has had adverse impact on children.

Ro Teimumu claimed the removal of vocational centers has particularly impacted young people in rural areas.

She said without practical skills, students struggled to gain meaningful employment and the financial independence they needed.

“The no-repeat policy has done a lot of damage to children. As they grow older, they start thinking about having a family. If they lack the skills to provide for their families, they become unemployable. That’s why we need skills training, and vocational centres can play a big role in addressing this,” she said.

Ro Teimumu is calling on the government to reintroduce technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs in secondary schools.

She highlighted the success of earlier models, where rural schools integrated vocational training from Year 7 to Year 10, preparing students for employment.

“TVET needs to come back in a big way into secondary schools. It started with rural schools taking up TVET, and we need that back to prepare students for economic opportunities.”

In response, Education Minister Aseri Radrodro affirmed the government’s commitment to expanding TVET programs in schools.

“At the moment, the Ministry of Education is providing these technical vocational programs in respective schools. This is something that we will continue to pursue as an alternative option for students who may have difficulties continuing their academic journey on an academic platform. We want to provide this as an option for them while they’re still in school,” he said.

Radrodro said the Education Ministry has already taken steps to address this gap, with 30 schools offering technical and vocational programs last year and 20 more added this year.