Teachers with teaching certificates from Nasinu Teachers College, Lautoka Teachers College and Fiji College of Advanced Education are recognised in the remuneration policy, says Education Minister Premila Kumar.
However, she said it was important for these teachers to understand the competitive environment they operated in, and the recruitment and promotion of teachers would be based on the Open Merit Recruitment and Selection (OMRS) system.
Mrs Kumar said the majority of teachers were fully qualified with education units and practical.
“One cannot be a teacher if one has not done education units and classroom assessment, or what we call ‘practicum’,” she said.
Mrs Kumar said for those who argued that they were taught by teachers with certificates in the past, “these teachers were regularly assessed by visiting teachers”.
“In those days, very few could afford a university education, unlike now. Thanks to the FijiFirst Government that made in-service scholarships (TELS and the Toppers Scheme) available so that our teachers can study full-time or through distance education.”
