BASED ON MERIT ALONE: AKBAR
Promotion of Fiji’s Teachers Is done blind to ethnicity, faith or favouritism and is instead decided by ability, education and experience.
Faith-based organisations that continue to push for principals of their own faiths to head their schools have the option of going private.
Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts Rosy Akbar yesterday thanked the management of all of Fiji’s faithbased schools for their contribution. But she stressed that all school heads must be appointed fairly, based on “merit and merit alone”. “The Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts reminds the public that, as required by the Constitution
and in line with the Open Merit and Recruitment Selection Policy Guideline, all school heads must be appointed fairly, based on merit and merit alone,” Ms Akbar said.
“Like any taxpayer-funded civil servant position, it is absolutely essential that the recruitment, selection, and promotion of Fiji’s teachers –– those charged with overseeing the classrooms where our children spend their most formative years –– is done blind to ethnicity, faith or favouritism, and is instead decided by ability, education, and experience.” Head of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, has recently made headlines calling for only Catholics to be principals of their schools. “The ministry wishes to thank the management of all of Fiji’s faith-based schools for their contribution in educating our nation’s young minds by building and maintaining so many of Fiji’s primary and secondary schools.” Ms Akbar said and expressed appreciation to those who have readily accepted new merit-based appointees.
“While change is never easy, for the sake of building a truly free and fair society, we ask that all schools follow their lead.”
Options for schools:
Ms Akbar said all faithbased schools, that prefer their school heads be appointed based on their faith can go ahead and make their appointments but Government will not provide them with Free Education Grant.
“Alternately, school management and committees have the option of privatising the school,” she said. “This ensures that taxpayer funds are not being utilised for positions that don’t meet open merit requirements, while affording the freedom of choice to schools who wish to make appointments based on other factors.
“In these and other cases of privatised schools, the Free Education Grant is not payable to the privatised school.
“Throughout the year, the ministry will continue to conduct consultations with Fiji’s 736 primary and 173 secondary schools, where input can be given on the nation’s ongoing education revolution, including merit-based civil service reforms,” she said.