OPPOSITION POLITICIANS, UNIONS FEEL HEAT AS TEACHERS’ ISSUES RESOLVED
The result of the civil service Job Evaluation Exercise for teachers is great in terms of salary increases and other benefits SOME OF THEM ARE CRITICAL OF THE CONSULTATIONS BECAUSE ATTORNEY-GENERAL AIYAZ SAYED-KHAIYUM IS CORRECTING THEIR MISINFORMATION
Despite what Opposition politicians say, the consultation for teachers conducted by Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is a revelation.
Revelation in the sense that teachers are now getting questions answered and misinformation corrected.
Politicians like National Federation Party leader Biman Prasad and SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu have been quick to attack the consultations. Mr Prasad accused Mr Sayed-Khaiyum of exploiting teachers. Mr Bulitavu has also waded into the debate in a similar vein.
If they were sitting at the first consultation at Jai Narayan College on Monday and had gone with an open mind they would not be saying what they are saying now. They would have concurred with the purpose of the open consultation.
The teachers had legitimate concerns about issues that directly and indirectly affected their performance. When their performance suffers our children’s education suffers too.
One issue was the finishing time for retiring teachers who have reached the compulsory retiring age of 55. The head teacher of a Suva primary school asked Mr Sayed-Khaiyum if those teachers could serve till December instead of finishing mid-year.
It would minimise disruption in schools because they have to look for replacements. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum replied in the affirmative and the teachers responded with a loud applause.
As the consultation continued it became apparent there seemed to be a gulf between the ministry’s head office in Suva where the administrators sit and the teachers. There could be some empire building going on between some teachers and administrators. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum referred to it as cliques. He said this would be eliminated.
Such practice is contrary to reform objectives.
We all know that such practices lead to nepotism and mediocre performance. He rightly said it was not good.
Education officers as administrators at HQ have been cut down to size. The emphasis now will be to deliver the education outcomes. And those responsible are the teachers at the coalface of education in their interaction with students, parents and the community. Government through the administrators at HQ and divisional levels is expected to create the environment in schools that is conducive to learning. The result of the civil service Job Evaluation Exercise for teachers is great in terms of salary increases and other benefits.
Education received the largest allocation in the latest National Budget. The more than $900 million reflects the recognition the Government has for Education.
An education officer who attended the consultation had complained that some teachers who were previously below him are now earning more than him. He started as a teacher with a Bachelors degree in Education.
Then he went and did his Masters in Human Resources and got shifted to HQ to be an education officer. He might be better off going back to teaching. That is indicative of the new direction in Education, A senior primary school teacher who holds a degree asked why her salary is the same as a new secondary school teacher, She has been teaching for 23 years.
It was explained to her that promotion and the determination of increased salaries are not based on years of experience only.
There are nine other factors. Another condition is performance. The size of the school roll, location and the challenges that teachers face to attain the desired outcomes are taken into consideration.
Previously, in the civil service, civil servants promotion is based on experience and length of service.
Now it is performance based. The 15 salary bands provide the flexibility for a teacher to progress if he or she walks the extra mile. If they get a higher qualification and fail to produce and deliver the desired outcome, they will not be entitled to promotions The emphasis is on the job requirements.
So for politicians and their trade union surrogates, the consultations have exposed unions which appear to have lost touch with the real issues facing teachers.
The politicians are urging unions to challenge the Government initiatives. But if the initiatives are working, there is little or no substance in the agitations.
If the teachers are happy with the outcomes of the Job Evaluation Exercise, the unions will eventually become irrelevant.
That’s the biggest fear of unions and politicians who support them.