There is a need to reform the education system and bring power back to the committees running schools, says People’s Alliance candidate Parmesh Chand.
Speaking during an interview with The Fiji Times, Mr Chand said the Fijian education system was looked up to by many Pacific Islanders and the international community as well.
“It is something which is turning into more and more of a mess because every minister has come and brought in their own set of policies and programs without having a long-term view of education in Fiji,” he said.
“The Government itself has refused to look at a broader review of the education system. They did somewhat of a review and remained hush-hush review and we hardly heard about it.
“The manner in which the ministers and the current minister in particular goes to committee run schools is unacceptable.”
The people who have been behind those schools need to be recognised because 95 per cent of schools in Fiji are run by the community or were run by the community.
“They invested in them and they need to come at the forefront. I myself recall at a function I was at where the Minister for Education came as the chief guest and I was told by his staff where to sit. I’m a trustee of that school and I was surprised at them instructing me where to sit, because I’m the host of the minister and I should be telling them where they should sit.
“So I was shocked at the type of reception they give to local people, those who give free time and in kind to run those schools.”
Mr Chand said he was also not happy with the way teachers were treated with contracts and performance assessments.
“How can you be given a short-term contract being a teacher? That’s the only profession you have. You need to invest in sufficient training to be able to ensure that you remain a good teacher for life and that’s not happening in the current system.
“I was never a party to this retirement at age 55. In the education system, if anybody knows about the education system, particularly in the FijiFirst government, it takes time to become a head of a discipline or head of maths or head of English.
“By the time they reach that stage, they’re already reaching the age of 50 or 52 to 53 and one year after that, they are sent home based on compulsory retirement.
“So all this investment, all these sacrifices teachers make, as soon as they reach the pinnacle of their career, they are being asked to retire and I must also say, living in a rural community, teachers play a very important role in these communities.
“They are looked up to and they need to be able to be promoted to play more roles. Given the NCDs rampaging our country, teachers in collaboration with health professionals can reach out to the masses of people out in the communities and teach them the goodness of good nutrition, health and physical exercise.”
Mr Chand said this would help the health system in the country.
