A recurring thought
‘If I were the Minister for Education’
OVER the past 10 years, one question I have been obsessing with is what I would do if I were the Minister for Education of Fiji. This recurring thought about becoming a Minister for Education takes me down the memory lane when I was a student in the early ‘60s at Shri Vivekananda College which was then known as Shri Vivekananda High School.
I vividly recall that we had to write an essay every morning and the teacher (from India) would correct it and bring it the next day. This was besides his other classes he taught with such dedication and passion.
He taught Biology, Literature, and Physical Education in several forms and he excelled at everything he did. He was also the school librarian and a counselor if there was a need.
He organised the events for the school day — singing, oratory contests and other literary activities.
He organised a sports day — an all-day event of field and track events.I never wondered how he was able to accomplish so many tasks with such deftness and ease. I just took it for granted that it was normal.
The baby boomers will remember him – B.G Pillay. There was another teacher who taught Literature and Chemistry. I can still recall him teaching us poetry and Henry V and we could visualiase the battle at Agincourt.
During those years, the students of QVS would stage different Shakespearean acts every year. I can still see, as if it were yesterday — the three scrawny looking witches around a boiling cauldron squealing, "double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble".
Ah, the good old days when education was intellectually stimulating and interesting, there was a respect for teachers and they deserved it.
There was hardly any discipline problems (the worst offence was if we did not speak in English during school hours, we had a penny hung around our neck all day to our abject shame and we learnt our lesson.
Consequently, when we graduated out of high school, we spoke better English than most of the parliamentarians.
About six years ago, the past Minister of Education asked me to do professional development of teachers. I had my first stab at a Principals' Conference in Nausori when I gave a preview of what I was planning to do.
There were more than 30 principals (including the principal of QVS). So I mentioned about how the QVS students performed Shakespearean plays. She nodded wistfully and said, "I wish we did that now".
Nowadays, students do not even know who Shakespeare is. I was reminded of this last week when I read Julie Sutherland's letter, Children and Reading in The Fiji Times in which she mentioned that "Things Fall Apart" has been the sole prescribed Literature book for the past 20 years. And I thought what an appropriate title, ironical as it may be.
These days, many students who have graduated from tertiary institutions cannot write an impressive CV or sell themselves effectively in an interview. I have too many horror stories about it from when I was a group HR manager for a premier retailer.
My wife (who is also a past HS teacher) and I have had many discussions between ourselves and with current HS teachers about how the standard of education has declined.
Most of them seem pretty clueless and are behave like hamsters on a wheel. Some do not say much for fear of reprisal.
Those close to retirement age or who have already retired are most critical about the state of things and agree strongly with our ideas to take education to a higher level. So I ask them a simple question, "Then how come you did not make any suggestions"?
"What's the point? No one listens", they tell me. Alas, I know that too well.
But my wife is willing to lend me her ears if I do the dishes or buy her a nice attire. So I pour my heart out to her at
these opportune times. I say, "If I were the Minister for Education, I would see what we are doing to achieve our vision and mission. OUR VISION – Quality Education for Change, Peace and
Progress.
OUR MISSION – To provide a holistic, innovative, responsive, inclusive and empowering education system that enables all children to realise and appreciate their inheritance and potential contributing to peaceful and sustainable Fiji.
So how would I achieve these noble goal? I would send a detailed survey to employers to find out what skill sets they are looking for and adapt the education to meet those needs.
Actually I would go a step further, I would get in touch with futuristic thought leaders who study trends like what type of industries will evolve in the next few decades and then transform the education to meet those needs.
I would send a questionnaire to all parents asking them what we can do together to alleviate the worsening discipline problems.
I would send a questionnaire to all principals and head teachers and ask them how the ministry is doing and how it can do it better. I would ask the principals and head teachers to send out a similar questionnaire to all their staff.
I would ask all the high school principals to introduce a public speaking program in Year 12 and Year 13 so that they to communicate their thoughts in an articulate manner when they leave school.
I would ask the schools to publish a quarterly newsletter to share their best practices with other schools. If the syllabus is the same for all schools, then why are some schools so progressive while others are languishing in mediocrity?
I would prepare a set of criteria and organise a contest to determine the best teachers in Fiji.
I had more suggestions but noticed my wife's interest in my passionate discourse waning. I asked her what was wrong.
She said, "We are out of onions" "Et tu Brute," is all I could say.
Ah, the good old days when education was intellectually stimulating and interesting, there was a respect for teachers and they deserved it. ~ Arvind Mani ~