The Education Ministry expects dropouts when schools resume again.

Minister Premila Kumar says reports indicate that children have been the most affected by COVID-19 and that there will be dropouts.

femLink Pacific’s Executive Director Susan Grey yesterday had highlighted the possibility that a large number of students, especially young women will not return to school.

She says they made the assessment following a dialogue in Vanua Levu.

“There is probably going to be an increasingly, significantly large component of young people that won’t be turning up to school and what is going to happen.”

Grey says a number of parents have lost their jobs and children are not able to access data, download worksheets and there is pressure on grandparents to help with school work.

Education Minister Premila Kumar says they are working with NGOS and other organizations to understand the difficulties faced by children.

“They have been going outreaching to the parents, trying to understand the reason why the child is not coming back to school, talking to the students as well, trying to encourage them if there is some form of constraint for example if it is to do with financial constraint or they don’t have uniform they don’t have bags, or they don’t have food. We are working with our donor partners to arrange all that.”

Kumar says they have also found out that some students have decided not to come back to school, and the Ministry is trying to find out what alternatives exist for these children.