In his remarks at the Inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers in Aotearoa, the Minister for Education, Hon. Aseri Radrodro did not mince his words when he called attention to a couple of significant challenging areas the Fiji Education System has encountered over the years and ways to address them.
Mr Radrodro stressed there had been so much emphasis on academic lessons instead of developing life skills.
He said it was evident the current education system in Fiji was such that its curriculum was more exam oriented and there was less emphasis on lifelong skills training that would enable students to deal with challenges they faced daily.
Moving forward, Mr Radrodro said students in Fiji should be guided to focus more on skills for lifelong learning for the practical and realistic situations they may face.
“Consistent consultation with key stakeholders in education, including teachers, parents, and institutions that train teachers, to name a few, will assure this,” he said.
He also emphasised the need to preserve Pacific indigenous knowledge and languages for a more resilient education system.
“Traditional knowledge systems play an important role in fostering learning and skills development for transformation and progress of a child,” Mr Radrodro said.
He said the primary level of Fiji’s education system emphasised the teaching and learning of mother tongues such as Vosa Vakaviti, Hindi, Urdu, and Rotuman languages.
He encouraged Pacific Education Ministers to have more dialogue and discussions on investments in the education of the peoples of the Pacific, which was the purpose of the Conference of Pacific Education Ministers.
“Let’s work together to engage development partners, civil society organisations, and donors to fulfil the dream of our Pacific peoples during the time of our tenure in office as Ministers for Education.”
