Former Education Minister and school teacher Ro Teimumu Kepa believes this is a critical issue stemming from the no-repeat policy introduced by the previous government.

Promoting children from class one without basic skills creates learning gaps that lead to early dropouts.

Former Education Minister and school teacher Ro Teimumu Kepa believes this is a critical issue stemming from the no-repeat policy introduced by the previous government.

She explained that students often fall behind early and this can lead to school dropouts as early as class two.

According to Ro Teimumu, many assume dropouts take place in later stages of education, such as year nine, but in reality, they begin much earlier when children fail to grasp foundational skills.

Ro Teimumu believes the no-repeat policy has caused significant damage to the education system, as it promotes children to higher grades without ensuring they have mastered basic literacy and numeracy skills.

She said this approach leaves many students unable to keep up, eventually disengaging from the system entirely.

“Class 8, that’s the first exam that the kids sit major, that they sit and they don’t go into Form 3 or Year 9 but the dropouts start at class 2, so if a child in class 1 does not pass the exam to go into class 2, meaning that they do not know how to read, they do not know how to write and cannot answer the question paper and then they are promoted to class 2, they do not know many of the facts that they should know when they get into class 2, so that child, in reality, should repeat class 1.”

As Opposition Leader at the time of the policy’s introduction, Ro Teimumu recalled that it was a decision lacking proper consultation or understanding of the education sector.

She noted the policy was implemented verbally with no formal documentation to guide its execution.

Ro Teimumu pointed out that repeating a class could give struggling students the time needed to build a stronger foundation.

Without this, gaps in learning accumulate, leaving students lost and unable to catch up as they progress through school.

Meanwhile, in a latest development, it has been revealed that the policy never existed as there was never an official directive for it.