The late Chief Justice, Sir Timoci Tuivaga, said idleness and lack of interest among Fijians (i-Taukei) to educate their children was becoming a common sickness in the community, according to an article published in The Fiji Times on January 10, 1984.
Justice Tuivaga, who was the then acting Governor General, spoke at the opening of the Fijian Teachers Association’s golden jubilee celebrations and annual conference at Natabua High School in Lautoka.
He said compared with non-Fijians, Fijians were weaker in their methods of raising and educating their children at home.
He called on teachers and parents to play their part in encouraging children to develop and use their talents to become useful citizens.
In addition, he said a responsibility that could be shouldered by the FTA was to make a general attempt to encourage and expose Fijian children to the idea and importance of working for a higher standard of living.
This was a field where Fijians knew they were lagging.
Justice Tuivaga said life in Fiji’s main centres was not easy as there were commitments to fulfil to the vanua, the church and the Government. But if Fijians, and other people of Fiji, believed that education was their main stepping stone to progress, then they would have to seriously consider their priorities in social and religious commitments and education.
He said another problem of Fijian education was there was hardly any suitable place for a child to study and have a little privacy after school hours.
Fijian homes, he said, were usually crowded and deprived children of the time and space to study, read or relax.
Justice Tuivaga said the obvious solution to this would be family planning and constructing houses to accommodate the family.
More than 500 members attended the four-day conference.
