SCOUTING has now been extended to the whole primary school levels from Year 3 to Year 8.
We have cub scouts from Year 3 to Years 4 and 5, Scouts from Year 6 to Years 7 and 8 as a co-curricular program all-year round. Apart from this we are also having Venture Scouting from Years 9 to 12 and Rover Scouting from Year 13 until the age of 26.
The Minister for Education, Dr Mahendra Reddy, has included Scouts and Girl Guides formally in the primary curriculum for Years 6 and 8 to ensure that all students transiting from the middle primary level to upper primary level and secondary level partake in a profound knowledge and understanding based activities designed with vital life skills that scouting unveils. In term 2 the curriculum coverage is completed giving opportunity to use the rest of term 3 in engaging students in scouting skills.
Year 7 has scouting every fortnight throughout the year, just as Years 3 to 8 have it.
Fiji Scouts has numerous registered girls in scouting.In all our rallies we formally include girls.
We also have numerous female Scout leaders in districts all over Fiji. We are also proud of Scout mums who support scouting.
In Fiji, we have termly school-based camps after which we have cluster-based camps, moving on to the district rallies.
We also have district cubs rally, district Scouts rally, district Venturer rally, district Rover rally, district Scout awards camp and Gilwell reunions. Now we also have district community outreach Scout programs.
Through scouting, the boys and girls help save mother nature by carrying out clean-up campaigns, mangrove planting and putting up of Scout billboards creating positive awareness bringing our attention towards global warming.
There are hundreds of Scout leaders who are well experienced, qualified and skilled.
It’s a normal trend for the districts in collaboration with the Fiji Scouts headquarters to carry out numerous basic training courses leading up to the ood badge course.
Leaders are well equipped with first aid requirements and are skilled with swimming also. The Scout leaders of Fiji are well experienced because they are equipped with local and overseas training.
In Fiji, the boys and girls in scouting gain the experience of outdoor adventure, bush skills, water safety, fire safety, self-reliance, dependence, self-confidence and survival skills.
The boys and girls in scouting are also messengers of peace who carry out community service activities which build character.
Dr Reddy is doing remarkably superb work with his hardworking team consisting of the permanent secretary, director primary divisional education officers, senior education officers, education officers, head teachers, and teachers to support and lift scouting in Fiji through the primary schools.
For decades, scouting in Fiji has come a long way through primary schools.
This is the 102nd year of scouting in Fiji. I am delightedly gratified of the current positive changes brought to Fiji’s scouting arena.
I wish everyone a safe and blessed Christmas.
