PRIMARY school headteachers’ call for a salary increase is falling on deaf ears. While calling for a salary increase for more than 730 primary school teachers, Fiji Head Teachers Association president Johnson Rura said they had brought this issue up in past conferences with no progress.
“This resolution has been brought up in many conferences in the past; there has been no progress and all we are being told that it is still in the pipeline,” said Mr Rura.
He said it was time for an overhaul of the salary bands between primary and secondary school leaders.
“The salary of a medium head of school is equivalent to vice-principals in secondary schools while a small school head of school sits on the same salary band as the assistant principal or head of department of any secondary school.
“Each school, regardless of size, faces its own set of complexities, and the current salary bands do not reflect the true scope of responsibility and dedication required across the board.
“It does not consider schools that have boarding programs, co-curricular programs and sports.”
He said the salary system should be fair and extend to all school leaders.
“And it’s not just about numbers, it’s about workload and context.
“An assistant headteacher running a massive urban school should never be paid the same as someone overseeing a fraction of the students in a small peri-urban or rural school.
“Workload is real. Responsibility is real and so must be the recognition.
“It’s time to overhaul the banding system because justice demands more than just a designation.
“It demands fairness for the work done.”