Primary school headteachers are calling for a salary review.
At the 42nd Fiji Head Teachers Association Conference in Nadi, more than 700 heads of schools agreed the salary review was long overdue.
“The salary structure for primary school leaders must reflect not only the complexity of our roles but the weight of the responsibility we carry,” said Fiji Head Teachers Association president Johnson Rura.
“It is unjust that while expectations continue to rise, remuneration has remained stagnant.
“If your office demands excellence, the Ministry (of Education) must invest in it.
“There is a great need to align salaries with the leadership roles we play not as a token of appreciation, but as a recognition of value.”
He said the current salary system was broken.
“And it’s hitting our biggest schools the hardest.
“A large primary school, juggling over a thousand students and more than 26 teachers, earns the same salary band as a small secondary school with just 50 students and six teachers.
“That’s not just unfair but it’s a slap in the face to those carrying the heaviest load day in and day out.”
Mr Rura said head of schools were also often called on to fill in for teachers.
“We don’t have a luxury of extra hands or backup teachers.
“When the pressure mounts, it’s our leaders who stand alone, managing and monitoring every challenge with no safety net.
“It is important to also acknowledge that this unfair banding does not only affect our largest schools.
“Even heads of medium and small schools are bearing the weight of an inequitable system that fails to recognise their unique challenges and contributions.”
Participants at the 42nd Fiji Head Teachers Conference in Denarau, Nadi. Picture: REPEKA NASIKO