NEW ORDERS FOR MINISTRY AND SCHOOLS A-G says education must arm students with tools to succeed

Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has set out strict deliverables for the distribution of textbooks and eTransport cards to students before the start of the 2018 School Year.

He has also instructed that remaining vacancies for school heads and classroom teachers be filled with qualified applicants as soon as possible.

At a meeting with officials from

the Ministry of Education, the A-G directed education staff to work more closely with school heads in arranging the delivery of free textbooks and eTransport cards so that students could hit the ground running when they return to school on January 15, 2018.

He emphasised that ministry officials required timely and up-to-date information from school heads, especially given the unprecedented pay rises for school heads announced in the latest national budget.

To boost accountability, the A-G also requested that yearly records on the maintenance of textbooks and timely requests of text books be included as Key Performance Indicators for school heads, as well as for Education Resource Staff. “Parents throughout the country need to have full confidence that our schools are well-equipped and have accountable management in place that makes students’ success the single most important consideration. “We’ve introduced record pay rises to our school heads, and expect to see a commensurate return in performance,” he said.

“Our teachers need to be able to focus on teaching and our students on learning, and we cannot allow systemic issues and bureaucratic obstacles within the Ministry of Education to limit outcomes in the classroom.”

In order to fill outstanding vacancies for classroom teachers in primary schools, the A-G directed education staff to hold consultations with Fiji National University and other institutions to ensure aspiring teachers receive their final test results by late December, so they could be screened and appointed before the start of Term 1.

During the meeting, the A-G highlighted that Ministry of Education head office must ensure that proper logistics are in place and awareness is created so that all parents and schools work together to ensure that all new primary school students receive their eTransport cards on time.