Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Call for revision of family planning policies in Fiji

Posted at 23:23 on 28 January, 2008 UTC

Fiji’s Council of Social Services says family planning policies need revising in a bid to encourage population growth in smaller islands.

One of the schools on Fiji’s smaller islands in the Lomaiviti group has had a significant drop in student intake numbers, and the Lomaiviti Provincial Council chairman has called for a reduction in the use of condoms because of it.

Fiji’s Council of Social Service’s executive director Hassan Khan says that’s one answer but perhaps it is time to study the country’s population dynamics and review policies.

Mr Khan says the drop in student numbers could be due to other factors on the outer island.

“Is it due to population? Is it due to the success of family planning campaign? Or is it due to other reasons? The migration from places into the main centre?”

Mr Khan says he hopes Fiji won’t end up like Singapore, who placed limits on the number of children per family, but two decades later were faced with a labour shortage.