Riya Mala 
Education consultation at Suva Grammar School
The national external examination results for Year Eight and Year 12 students have been declining over the last seven years.
Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro, believes that the reason behind this could be that students may not feel the need to put in the required effort to achieve academic excellence due to the automatic progression policy implemented in schools.
Radrodro speaking at face-to-face national consultation on the repeal of automatic progression in schools says this has created a culture of complacency among students, teachers, and parents.
He says students have become complacent because promotion to the next grade is somewhat guaranteed, regardless of their academic performance.
“Since 2018 the year eight external examination results have plummeted below 70% similarly, the year 12, results for the past five years also record less than 80% pass rate. The fluctuating average pass rates over the years may be attributed to automatic progression.”
Radrodro says automatic progression results in learning gaps that accumulate over time, leading to poor examination performance by students.
He adds that students who are not adequately prepared for these exams tend to struggle to perform, which impacts national standards.
The public consultation was held this morning in Suva to gather the views of various stakeholders on the repeal of automatic progression in schools. As of yesterday, the online survey being carried out by the Ministry had recorded 626 responses.
Radrodro says this is a pivotal moment as they are looking at the future of the education landscape, which will contribute to the progress and development of Fijian children’s lives.
