EDUCATION Minister Aseri Masivou Radrodro has called for greater focus on emotional wellbeing as Fiji works to build resilience among children, teachers, families, and communities.
Speaking at the opening of the Fiji Early Childhood Teachers Association conference on Tuesday, Mr Radrodro said early childhood education was critical to developing children’s social, emotional and life skills.
The conference was held under the theme “Enhancing Emotional Wellbeing for Educators, Families, Children and Communities”.
Mr Radrodro said children faced increasing challenges, including bullying, family violence, poverty, online risks, substance abuse and mental health concerns.
He said early prevention and intervention were essential, with early childhood education teachers playing a critical role in supporting children’s development and wellbeing.
Mr Radrodro stressed that child protection was a shared responsibility involving families, communities, government agencies, and service providers.
Government funding for early childhood education has increased from $32 million in 2025 to $34m in the current financial year, supporting more than 18,000 children, 1423 teachers and 875 centres nationwide.
Mr Radrodro said efforts were also being made to strengthen social and emotional learning, create safe and inclusive learning environments, and improve teacher welfare through professional development and better employment conditions.
He called on parents, communities, faith-based organisations and development partners to work together to address drug abuse, online safety and child wellbeing.
He said the Denarau Declaration and the forthcoming 10-Year Education Sector Plan would guide efforts to improve quality, equity, inclusion, child protection and teacher wellbeing across Fiji’s education system.
“Enhancing emotional wellbeing is a shared responsibility, when we support our children, teachers, families and communities, we strengthen Fiji’s future,” Mr Radrodro said.
The event brought together teachers, partners and education stakeholders to strengthen the quality of early learning across Fiji.
