Minister for Education Rosy Akbar has two major meetings today with organizations that have been raising issues about the Ministry’s decisions.
Akbar will meet with the teachers’ unions and later meet the Faith Based Education Forum which is made up of all faith based leaders except the Fiji Muslim League.
The unions have been raising concerns about teacher appointments and underpayment of salaries while the faith based leaders want all heads of faith based schools to be people of their own faith.
The first meeting of the Faith Based Education Forum was attended by representatives from the Catholic Church in Fiji, Methodist Church in Fiji, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Christian Mission Fellowship, Assemblies of God, TISI Sangam, Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha, Rama Krishna Mission in Fiji, Salvation Army, Fiji Council of Churches, Pacific Council of Churches and Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
The Fiji Muslim League was not part of the meeting although an invitation was also sent to them. President of the League, Hafiz Khan was out of the country.
The main objective of the Forum is to raise the issue with the government that the heads of faith based schools should be a person of that same faith.
Head of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong is the Interim Chairman of the Forum. Doctor Richard Wah who is an executive of the Methodist Church and former NFP candidate, is the Interim Deputy Chairman. The Interim General Secretary of the Forum is the General Secretary of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Joe Talemaitoga.
Archbishop Chong had earlier said that they have decided as a group that no public statements will be made for now.
Although we raised the issue that people need to know what is being discussed by the Forum, Archbishop Chong says no comments will be made for now and they may say something later.
The Forum’s next meeting is expected to take place this Wednesday.
