Shania Shayal Prasad 
[Source: Ministry of Education Fiji/Facebook]
Fiji and China are discussing funding vocational scholarships and a potential partnership to address workforce skills gaps through technical and vocational education and training.
This follows a recent meeting between Education Minister Aseri Radrodro and Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian, along with officials from the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service, including Chairperson Ro Teimumu Kepa and CEO Hasmukh Lal.
Radrodro highlighted the challenge of skilled workers leaving Fiji for opportunities abroad, noting that an estimated three percent of the population has permanently emigrated, with this number rising.
He acknowledged the difficulty of balancing national priorities with investing in skills development.
Bureau of Statistics data from 2019 indicates 64 percent of Fijian jobs are within the TVET sector, but the increasing complexity of vocational training, due to technological advances, poses a significant challenge for local institutions.
From left: Ro Teimumu Kepa, Education Minister Aseri Radrodro,Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian and Hasmukh Lal [Source: Ministry of Education Fiji/Facebook]
Radrodro identified China as a key TVET partner and hopes the Chinese government will offer scholarships for Fijian students in areas such as solar and renewable energy engineering, plant engineering, automotive electronics, telecommunications, aquaculture, and agricultural engineering.
These scholarships would be jointly managed, with TSLS overseeing selection and bonding to ensure graduates return to work in Fiji. The proposed plan would send 50 students annually for three years, totaling 150 students.
Radrodro stressed that the partnership aims to strengthen Fiji’s workforce by equipping students with skills critical to national development.
