A growing breakdown in classroom discipline is driving teachers out of Fiji, the Fijian Teachers’ Association (FTA) says, as it pushes for the return of corporal punishment to deal with rising student delinquency.
According to the FTA, the erosion of discipline is contributing to a domestic brain drain within the profession.
Latest figures indicate that about 800 teachers have left Fiji for overseas opportunities.
The association is calling for an urgent amendment to Chapter 2, Section 41 of the Constitution to allow physical discipline as a corrective measure.
General secretary Paula Manumanunitoga said teachers were now facing an uphill battle in schools, with students increasingly challenging authority because “they know their rights”.
“They even overdo it by swearing at the teachers, by putting up their hands, showing the finger, and throwing objects at teachers,” he told the Constitution Review Commission yesterday.
“This has forced some teachers to find work elsewhere and 800 teachers left this country to join work, probably looking for greener pastures.”
Mr Manumanunitoga argued that the ‘Rights of Children’ framework needs to be reviewed to better reflect cultural practices, maintaining that parental authority should take precedence.
“So, it’s going to be the child who takes over our society instead of the parents.
“The rights of the child do not override the rights of the parent.”
The association also claimed Fiji moved too quickly to abolish corporal punishment, recommending corrective behavioural measures be administered solely by school heads.
