School Management Association president Govind Singh believes the lack of improvement of Fiji’s pass rates should not be a surprise.
Responding to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka questioning of the state of Fiji’s education system resulting in a drop in academic performance, Mr Singh said the problem existed in the primary and early education levels.
“We are sending failures into secondary school,” said Mr Singh.
“The primary level is where the problem is because we are not effective systems that are resulting in our children failing their exams.
“We are not teaching them the proper curriculum where they are able to comprehend and understand what they are being taught.
“The biggest problem right now is we do not even know what our literacy and numeracy rates are.
“There is no data to show just how big the problem is, but we know it is there because we see it in the results.”
He said while there was a need for the Government and their stakeholders to work on a total overhaul of Fiji’s education system, parents should also share the blame.
“They should also take some of the blame.
“Have they even gone home after a parent and teachers meeting to ask their child to read what they wrote?
“They spend that extra time with their child to help them read and write?
“Now they are running around trying to look for schools for their child who failed their exam and by then it is too late. They are crying over spilt milk.”
He said the Government and its stakeholders must seriously look into the failing rates of students.
“We are talking about the future of our country.
“We cannot allow this to continue to happen.”
