STATEMENT FROM ACTING MINISTER FOR EDUCATION ON WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY

On this World Teachers’ Day, the Ministry of Education acknowledges Fiji’s educators for their invaluable contribution to our national development.

This is a very special day for our schools. It is a time to celebrate our teachers for their sacrifice and recognise their unwavering commitment to nurturing Fiji’s most valuable natural resource: the minds and talents of our children.

This year, UNESCO’s theme is “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers”. Empowering teachers has always been part of the Ministry of Education’s role. Workshops, seminars, and teacher-training sessions are organised by the Ministry throughout the year to upgrade teachers’ qualifications and, at the same time, keep them up-to-date with the latest developments in teaching and learning.

The fate of Fiji’s future is dependent on the success of our students, and the Ministry of Education takes this responsibility seriously. Fiji’s teachers are now selected by open merit-based recruitment and selection, and under the new job evaluation exercise, they are remunerated based on their performance. This allows for the best teachers to be hired and the best results to be rewarded.

To all of our 11,383 teachers in Fiji, the entire nation is thankful for your relentless service. By helping to grow the minds of our students in their most formative years, you are guiding Fiji to a brighter tomorrow. For this, the Ministry thanks you. (See also >P20)