A 3 per cent pay rise will not stop teachers from leaving the country, says Fijian Teachers Association general secretary Paula Manumanunitoga.
He said the pay rise for all civil servants through the 2025-2026 National Budget would not be enough to prevent teachers from leaving for greener pastures.
“What will a 3 per cent pay raise do?” he said. “Can it stop people from migrating?
“Never, it never will.”
Mr Manumanunitoga said teachers were among the largest group of civil servants that were migrating, more than any other within the public service sector.
“I can be allowed to criticise what the current status is with this government by saying that the Government is looking at the broader picture of teachers in the civil service, but let’s categorise things and find out if the other civil service people are leaving.
“I think it should get data available for every year, and if civil servants are thought to be (leaving), they should be offered a pay rise.”
Mr Manumanunitoga strongly recommended that teachers be put in a separate category, “and not just jumbled up in the civil service and be offered a three per cent pay rise”.
He urged the Government to work with stakeholders and implement strategies that would prevent qualified teachers from leaving.
“We are worried because we don’t want teacher shortages to affect the education system in this country.
“It will affect the education system very badly. We’ve been suggesting to the Government that it should strategise.
“For us, we’ve been saying the underlying cause of these teachers leaving for greener pastures overseas is the pay issue.
“Fijian teachers have left because there’s not enough money here.”
