Teacher unions iron out issues with ministry
Fijian Teachers Association (FTA) and Fiji Teachers Union (FTU) resentatives yesterday met Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts Rosy Akbar to iron out issues the unions have with teacher postings, contracts and salaries.
In a meeting described as fruitful, Fijian Teachers Association reps said they were happy with what transpired.
FTA general secretary Paula Manumanunitoga said they were able to discuss issues that concerned the teachers.
“We are grateful to the Minister for Education and to the Ministry of Education for allowing us to sit with them because this is what we always wanted,” he said.
“We always wanted to be consulted as representatives of the teachers. We have never been against the Government, but we are worried about issues that are affecting our members and teachers out on the field.
“We talked about the job evaluation exercise, the executive teacher positions and the Open Merit Recruitment System (OMRS).” Mr Manumanunitoga said leadership experience was important under the OMRS.
“There were processes in selection of qualified people to lead in schools, especially positions of leadership. OMRS only considers a person’s qualifications on paper and not
Minister Rosy Akbar said she was happy with the manner in which the meeting was held and the progress of discussions.
their experience,” Mr Man-umanunitoga said.
He said they were asking that the experience people gained while acting in leadership positions in schools, such as heads of departments, be given consideration when substantive appointments were made. Mr Manumanunitoga this should be the case instead of only considering a person’s qualifications.
“We talked about the job tests where teachers were ranked according to the marks they obtained and not taking into consideration their experience in their positions. We need this to be considered,” he said.
FTU’s Agni Deo Singh said they would release a statement on the meeting. Minister Rosy Akbar said she was happy with the manner in which the meeting was held and with the progress of discussions.