Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad mentioned something the other day about real change in classrooms being led by teachers and school leaders.
Highlighting this during the Fiji Principals Association 130th conference meeting in Labasa on Wednesday, he said the rapidly changing needs of society required that the education system becomes agile, innovative, and self-correcting.
He emphasised the evolving demands of society necessitated an education system that is agile, innovative, and capable of self-correction.
“I am deeply aware that many of the jobs for which we are training students today at our own universities will cease to exist within a decade or two. They will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence (AI). In some areas, jobs will be replaced by AI even by the time the current students will graduate.”
He spoke about subjects becoming redundant. In saying that, he urged principals to ensure that reforms and innovations were implemented. We welcome this!
One of the main focuses of the National Development Plan 2025-2029 was enhancing the quality of education at all levels to meet the requirements of the ever-changing labour market.
Earlier this year, around May, we wrote about an inaugural provincial education forum which brought an important issue to light — the lack of basic skills among primary and secondary school students.
Lau Provincial Council chairperson at the time, Ratu Meli Saubulinayau raised a point about students being promoted to higher classes despite not having a strong foundation in important areas like maths, reading, and writing. That raised questions about our education system.
Ratu Meli made a point that many parents and guardians could relate to. Basic skills and knowledge were missing because primary and secondary school students were being allowed to advance to the next level of education with low marks. The system, he said, needed to be evaluated. A new system, he said at the time, needed to be introduced for villages in the Lau Group where they could help their children’s education since basic skills were lacking in the province.
“When they reach Year 12, they still cannot read or write a proper composition,” he said.
The revelation about the state of our children’s education raised here should inch out concern. Let’s reconsider how we look at our system and be appreciative of the need for change.
Let’s embrace suggestions from stakeholders. In 2020, we learnt that some students entering high school were either non-readers or slow readers which was a concern at the time. The claim was made by a high school principal during a heads of schools meeting at the Vunimono Hall in Nausori.
In the same year, the Ministry of Education’s education officer for the Central Division, Pravin Nath, said they had data on the issue and were working on how best it could rectify it.
When and how did we get to the sad state of affairs? Were there other factors that needed to be addressed? Emphasis was placed on education over the years. Money was pumped into this important sector. What were we doing wrong? We must reflect on the implications of inadequate foundational skills, perhaps reassess policies such as automatic promotion, and actively engage the community in educational discussions.
Let us embrace collaboration among stakeholders — educators, parents, community leaders, and policymakers. Let’s consider reshaping our education system to meet the needs of our students and equip them for the future!
