Education Minister, Premila Kumar says early childhood education needs to be made more engaging for pupils.

Opening a diagnostic workshop, Kumar says while ECE attendance in Fiji is high – the curriculum must reflect the learning needs of young children.

“I’m keen to see children exposed to a curriculum that specifically builds their social, emotional, cognitive and physical attributes while having a fun-filled experience in school.”

Kumar says the Ministry wants the basics of information technology, innovation and creativity introduced during early childhood education.

There are more than 17,000 students in ECE at 864 schools, and keeping them engaged meaningfully requires some reforms.

The Ministry also wants to see an internationally benchmarked curriculum and better-trained teachers.