SPECIAL and inclusive education must be placed at the heart of Fiji’s education system, rather than treated as a side program, Fiji Head Teachers Association president Johnson Rura says.
Speaking at the 43rd FHTA’s annual conference in Nadi last week, Mr Rura said: “Every child, regardless of ability, must be welcomed, supported, and celebrated.”
Mr Rura said the success of education should not be measured by the number of policies or reports produced, but by the positive impact on children.
“For a child struggling to read, success is not another policy document — it is the joy of reading a story independently.
“For a child struggling with mathematics, success is the confidence to work with numbers.
“For a child with special needs, success is being included, supported, and enabled to learn alongside peers.”
He said every child should feel safe, valued, included and capable of learning.
“This is the measure by which history will judge us — not by the number of reports written, but by the number of children whose lives are transformed.”
He called on education leaders and teachers to ensure that reforms, reviews and programs remained focused on improving the lives of children.
“Let us commit ourselves, as leaders and as educators, to ensuring that every reform, every review, and every program beats with one purpose: to make a real difference in the lives of our children.”
