Beyond Access: Repositioning Education for Equity, Inclusion and Digital Justice in Fiji and the Pacific

Across Fiji and the Pacific, education is increasingly expected to prepare learners for digitally changing, climate-affected and economically uncertain futures. Yet educational opportunity remains uneven. Learners in rural, remote and maritime communities often face barriers relating to connectivity, devices, transport, poverty, disability support, language, school resources and access to qualified teachers. These inequalities are not separate challenges; they intersect to shape who can participate meaningfully in education, whose knowledge is valued and who benefits from technological and policy change. This paper critically examines equity, access and inclusion in Fiji and the wider Pacific through the concept of digital justice. It argues that access should not be measured only by enrolment, school attendance or the availability of technology. Meaningful inclusion requires reliable infrastructure, affordable connectivity, appropriate devices, culturally responsive pedagogy, inclusive assessment, teacher capability, disability support and recognition of Indigenous and local knowledge. Drawing on Pacific relational perspectives, the paper further argues that educational equity must be understood in relation to community, place, language, culture and collective well-being. The paper identifies a continuing tension between national commitments to modernisation and the uneven realities experienced by learners and schools. It proposes a Fiji- and Pacific-responsive approach that combines targeted resource allocation, strengthened teacher development, accessible digital learning, community participation and culturally grounded policy implementation. The paper concludes that educational transformation will be equitable only when it moves beyond providing access towards ensuring that every learner has the capability, dignity and meaningful opportunity to learn, participate and flourish.