Teachers Union’s Singh: We Value Partnership With the Ministry

‘Our fight is not with you and the Ministry of Education as we and the Ministry of Education have been working in partnership and we value this partnership’

The Fiji Teachers Union (FTU) General Secretary, Agni Deo Singh, said they valued the partnership they had with the Ministry of Education. Mr Singh was speaking during the World Teachers Day celebration. He added that the union would continue to fight for the rights of its members in relation to the signing of the Fiji Civil Service Reform contract.

He stated that whatever the union would do, it would be within the law.

“Our fight is not with you and the Ministry of Education as we and the Ministry of Education have been working in partnership and we value this partnership,” Mr Singh said at the FTU hall yesterday.

Mr Singh acknowledged the Permanent Secretary for Education Iowane Tiko for working together with the union in their few achievements and he hoped for more achievements in the future. He said that teachers could do miracles if given the space and freedom.

This year’s theme for the celebration is ‘teaching in freedom, empowering teachers’.

Mr Tiko while addressing the teachers said when they are empowered in their classrooms, their confidence and job satisfaction is enhanced.

He said: “Teachers must be allowed to have a say in their professional development options that will enable teachers to be experts. “This can lead to an overall school improvement in terms of student discipline, academic achievements, overall school culture and impact on student learning.”

Mr Tiko stated that if teachers are not empowered, or do not accept to be empowered such reforms and initiatives may not be successfully implemented according to the expectations of Government to allow quality learning. FTU National president Muniappa Goundar encouraged teachers that to the world they may be just a teacher but to their students they were heroes.

Teachers must be allowed to have a say in their professional development options that will enable teachers to be experts. This can lead to an overall school improvement in terms of student discipline, academic achievements, overall school culture and impact on student learning. Iowane Tiko Permanent Secretary for Education

Photo: Jone Luvenitoga DAV College school teacher Sweta Chaudhary gets a selfie done as other teachers cut the cake to commemorate World Teachers Day at the Fiji Teachers Union Hall in Suva on Thursday October 5, 2017.