IN 1996, then permanent secretary for Education Amraiya Naidu revealed that more than 100 teachers had resigned during the first school term.

According to an article published by The Fiji Times on May 3 that year, the statistics were released after teachers attending the Fiji Teachers Union (FTU) annual meeting at Rishikul Sanatan College raised concerns over the issue.

Mr Naidu said 66 of those who resigned were secondary school teachers, including 31 who held head of department (HOD) positions. A further 40 primary school teachers had also resigned.

He said the loss of experienced teachers was a significant setback for the Ministry of Education, as their expertise could not be replaced overnight by new graduates.

Mr Naidu said most of the resignations were due to teachers immigrating overseas. When asked whether there was a shortage of teachers, he said the ministry was doing its best to ensure sufficient staffing levels at schools.

The FTU called on the Ministry of Education to reorganise its teacher education program so that degree-level training could be conducted at the University of the South Pacific in collaboration with the Fiji College of Advanced Education.

The union also urged the ministry to introduce a more comprehensive secondary teacher training program to better prepare teachers for HOD roles.

FTU president Jagdish Singh said schools operating on native leases were under immense pressure and, at times, faced threats over rental payments. In some cases, he said, the situation had become so volatile that school operations were disrupted.

He said rental demands imposed on some schools were so excessive that school committees were forced to surrender their schools.

“Taking into account the great financial contribution school committees make in providing education in the country, I think it would be a reasonable idea that all school rentals be paid by the Government from this year,” he said.

Mr Singh said the shortage of teachers was both serious and real.

“Efforts to get the Ministry of Education to pay grant-in-aid teachers their increments have been unsuccessful simply because the ministry has lost the feel for teachers.

“How can it expect to have commitment from these teachers when it keeps underpaying them?”

Mr Singh further criticised the Government, saying it had become autocratic in civil service matters, thereby undermining accountability and transparency.