THE need for the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) to verify and check the qualification standard of teachers from abroad who take up teaching positions in Fiji was raised by Opposition member of Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua.
Officials from the FHEC appeared before the parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence yesterday to present their submission on Asia-Pacific’s Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education (2011 Tokyo Convention).
The Tokyo convention is a tool that promotes fair and transparent policies and practices for international recognition of qualifications in Asia-Pacific.
Ms Qereqeretabu questioned FHEC on how strict and accurate the commission was working to verify the qualification and standard of educators and to ensure that it matched Fiji’s education standard.
In response, FHEC senior accredited officer Atelini Koroi said the commission had a working relationship with the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts in this area.
Ms Koroi said their process would require them to look into the applications of individual applicants and then try and contact the institution where they had attained their qualifications.
She said the exercise was done to confirm whether the country of origin or if the institution they had attended was a registered one and also whether the applicant was really a graduate.
Ms Koroi also said assessing applications of overseas teachers would usually take a bit of time.
“I can assure you that work is in process and as you’ve heard, it has not been easy but through the Tokyo convention, that would help us,” she said.
