The Fijian Teachers Association (FTA) has raised alarm over the growing physical and mental toll on teachers claiming some have collapsed and died while on duty, while others are being sent overseas for treatment.
In an interview with The Fiji Times, FTA general secretary Paula Manumanunitoga said stress levels in the profession are so high that teachers are developing serious health conditions, including heart disease, cancer, and psychological trauma.
“Just last week, we buried three teachers,” Mr Manumanunitoga said.
“They die every day, and almost every day one collapses in the classroom and is rushed to the hospital but it’s too late.
“The pressure is too much because of the strenuous working conditions that teachers are facing now.”
He said the situation is made worse by overcrowded classrooms, lack of disciplinary support, and the Ministry of Education’s zero-tolerance policy on corporal punishment.
“You can’t smack anyone, you can’t give him a hiding and so the only thing that teachers can do is talk.
“They talk, they try and reason, they use other means, but it just brings frustration to them when those other means are not effective.
“They are never effective.”
Mr Manumanunitoga said the FTA’s welfare scheme covers the cost of overseas medical treatment for several teachers.
“We fund it fully, the airfares, their medical bills, their medication.
“They stay there. We give them pocket money, up to $40,000.
“At the moment, I think we have about three or four who are in India for treatment.”
