WHAT’S LOOKING BACK IN TIME HAPPENING TODAY Intake policy for Year 1 students ‘Education is about partnership’
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• Move to Australia Expo 11am at Tanoa Plaza Hotel – Corner of Gordon and, Malcolm St, Suva;
• “Step out in faith” concert 7pm at Pacific Tertiary Evangelistic Center (Grantham Rd, Suva)
•Naceva, Kadavu church service 3pm at Nasoqo Hall, Kalabu;
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• Totoya Polotu 3pm Centenary Church;
Editor’s movie picks:
• Jawan (Hindi) - 1.40pm, 8.40pm at Life Cinema Lautoka; 10.15am, 2.55pm, 8.15pm at Life Cinema Nadi; 10am, 8.15pm at Life Cinema Nakasi; 10.20am, 1.55pm, 8.10pm at Life Cinema Labasa.
THE Education Ministry will allow further deliberations on the intake policy for Year 1 students.
Education Minister Aseri Radrodro said despite the policy being endorsed by Cabinet, the legislation had received much criticism.
“We have recently changed the intake policy for class one students whereby those that turned six years by the month of June in the year of enrolment will be allowed to enroll as is captured in the Education Act,” said Mr Radrodro.
“As a result, students born after June are not able to attend class one in that same year.
“Whilst this has been granted Cabinet endorsement, there have been differing views that such a policy is discriminatory and archaic and may require further deliberations, and we are happy to do so.”
Mr Radrodro said they would carry out further consultations on the new policy.
At the 2023 National Education Summit, Mr Radrodro said finding the practicalities of national education policies should be a focus of participants.
“Where there may be a need to review some laws in our Education
Act or other related legislations, please identify those and provide us with some guidance to ensure we are progressive as an education sector.”
Mr Radrodro said he was encouraged that throughout the summit, the high number of children dropping out of school would be addressed.
“This will demand committed, passionate, understanding, patient teachers and elders who will groom our children and people with the knowledge and skills that transform their take on life.”
EDUCATION is about partnership, says Fiji National University acting vice-chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba.
She said no one could work alone in addressing challenges the sector faced.
“The problems of our time are multi-sectoral and multi-faceted,” said Prof Nabobo-Baba.
“It will demand of us a very multi-pronged approach with partners coming onboard to work together to address transforming the education system.
“These include the community, the parents, the teachers, faith-based groups, the curriculum writers and the children who are very often not heard.
“So this is how we at FNU hope to contribute with the other training tertiary institutions.”
Prof Nabobo-Baba said one of the changes that FNU would be carrying out was revising its strategic plan to align with the Ministry of Education’s strategy for the next 10 years.
“Our strategic plan is from 2021 to 2026, but the revised plan from 2023, we will revise the plan to include what has been discussed at the summit.
“We will need to go back and change our strategic plan so that it is informed by the developments that were decided at the meeting in 2023 that were not there in 2021.
“So, as a lead at FNU right now, our strategic plan is being revised for 2024 to 2026 and we will then dovetail our plan to the ministry.
“It is our duty to do this as the national university of Fiji to align ourselves with the Government’s plans.”
Prof Nabobo-Baba added the National Education Summit was a good avenue to identify certain areas within the education sector that needed the attention of every stakeholder, including tertiary institutions.