Minister for Education, Premila Kumar says investment in education helps in poverty reduction however SODELPA MP Ro Teimumu Kepa says Fiji's remote location impacts the prices of uniforms, books and transportation and although education is free up to the secondary level, the secondary costs of education present additional barriers for children living in poverty.
While opposing NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad's motion for the Standing Committee on Social Affairs to undertake an inquiry into the causes of poverty, Kumar says the government already provides free education grant, free text books and transport assistance including sanitary pads.
She says this supplements those people's income who are below the poverty line.
The Minister adds we are all familiar with the Multi-Ethnic and Fijian Affairs scholarships and during those days if a student from a poor family did not receive a scholarship, they had no option for tertiary education.
She says the only option for them was FNPF if they had that option.
Kumar adds TSLS has been a game changer.
While supporting the motion, Ro Teimumu says those villages, settlements and informal settlements who have the heads of households with education below the secondary level, are at greater risk of poverty.
Ro Teimumu says a significant percentage of individuals in Fiji did not attend secondary school due to a lack of income.
She adds poverty is a hard cycle that becomes more difficult to get out of, especially when the education levels are not the same for low income families.
