John Mitchell
YMC playground and main
school block with staff
quarters in the background.
Picture: JOHN KAMEA
Under British rule, education in Fiji was characterised by a number of commissions often initiated by governors who were not satisfied with the state of learning in the colony.
While many recommendations from these inquiries collected dust on shelves, some shaped several significant policies of the government.
In 1969, on the eve of Fiji’s independence, the Fiji Education Commission (FEC) decided to change the nation’s school structure.
It was subsequently suggested that “experimental” junior secondary schools be set up in selected rural areas.