Tough choices that need to be made

NOW that Education Minister Rosy Akbar has confirmed all students, including those impacted by super storm Yasa in the Northern Division, will begin classes on January 19, we all have our work cut out.

Speaking at a media conference in Suva yesterday, she said school heads and teachers were to report for duty on January 18.

The ministry, she said, would not pressure parents and students on uniforms, footwear and stationery.

“All we want from them is to return to school. There is a lot of assistance being provided.

“To the parents, please do not pressure yourselves. This is the time to rebuild your homes and lives but we want the education of our children to continue.”

Her statement is obviously targeted at ensuring our students return to classes as soon as possible.

Schools closed soon after the announcement of our first COVID-19 case in March last year.

Just before school resumed in July last year, a survey by the TISI Sangam for instance, of students who returned to classes revealed about 61 per cent of students from seven schools in the Western Division had parents who had either been terminated from work or laid off.

TISI Sangam Fiji president Damend Gounder explained the survey was conducted to assist the religious organisation in its three days a week free lunch distribution initiative.

“We surveyed a total of 3085 students from seven schools between Lautoka and Nadroga,” he was quoted saying.

“Most of these schools were located near tourist hubs like Nadroga and Nadi. What we found was that 60.5 per cent of our students had parents who were either terminated or on reduced hours.

“Another worrying figure we found was 45 per cent of the students had parents who were terminated from work.”

He said the quick survey was conducted to find out how many students needed the free lunch.

Meanwhile, according to Ms Akbar, while conducting assessments after Yasa, the ministry found that although many schools had sustained extensive damage — the number of students enrolled last year versus those anticipated to resume classes on January 19 had declined.

“In some schools, we do have buildings that are still standing and the ministry is working with heads of schools to ensure that we are able to house our students in a comfortable environment.”

While it may be difficult for many parents and guardians to send their children back to school, it is encouraging to note that the powers that be are keen to ensure our children are educated.

The global pandemic has left thousands of people unemployed. Thousands more are either on reduced hours, or have taken pay cuts. Now add the impact of Yasa, and you have massive challenges before you.

However, the fact that we are one of the few countries in the world that are COVID-19 contained does place us in a unique position.

It should allow us to address our education system and enable our children to receive this as soon as possible.

We realise it may not account for the lost months last year, however, we have an opportunity to empower our children and give them the education they deserve.

The challenge is on how the powers that be are able to assist those in great need right now. We also have our own challenges as parents and guardians to make an effort to get our children to school. This is when we need all stakeholders to understand the harsh reality on the ground, the challenges that must be considered, and the tough choices that must be made.