Children in Years 1 to 3 go through mental stress because of exams - Kumar

Minister for Education, Premila Kumar says children in Years 1 to 3 go through mental stress because of exams and at that young age, they think they are not good enough because of exams which is why they want to take exams away.

She says we talk about psycho-social support for children because of COVID but here in the school system at such a tender age, we have examinations and put them in different groups where when a student is smart they come first and one who is not smart will come last.

Kumar further says the Fiji Head Teachers Association met with her in August last year when she was appointed and they came up with a number of ideas that they wanted to see in the education sector.

The Minister further says she has been having consultations through the online Teachers Talanoa Forum where she puts out these ideas and gets their feedback.

Meanwhile, Kumar says she will not comment on calls made by the National Federation Party, Fiji Teachers Union and SODELPA for the establishment of an Education Commission.

NFP Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says the new government after the general elections will have a herculean task in dealing with ill-conceived and haphazard changes to education by the small minded, bureaucratic and paranoid FijiFirst Government. Professor Prasad says despite the mountainous mess that will be left behind by the current government, the NFP in government will be more than ready and capable of eradicating this mess and restore quality education.

He says the mess in the education sector today is a direct result of the dictatorial imposition of policies without the consultation with the stakeholders.

Prasad says since 2014, the NFP has repeatedly called for the appointment of an Education Commission to review the education sector in Fiji because the last such holistic review took place more than 21 years ago in 2000.

He says since 2007, the Military government and then the FijiFirst government have continued to engage in piecemeal, haphazard and ill-conceived reforms in every facet of the education sector.

Prasad adds there have been changes to the examinations, changes to curriculum, changes to teacher recruitment policies, appointment of teachers on short term contracts and many others which urgently needs a review.

The NFP Leader also says only a properly constituted Education Commission can undertake a proper review and consultation with the stakeholders.

He says if the Minister and her government have any concerns about the destruction that has been done to the quality of education at all levels in this country under their management, they will appoint an Education Commission soon to undertake a proper review.

Fiji Teachers Union General Secretary, Agni Deo Singh says Kumar should establish an Education Commission which will be able provide a clear pathway and direction for education for the next decade. Singh says making ad-hoc changes to education has become a norm for the current government.

SODELPA Leader, Viliame Gavoka says the ongoing changes to education curriculum and examinations being casually announced over the media by the Minister for Education should be halted and the establishment of an independent Education Commission to carry out a comprehensive review our education system is urgently needed.

He says this is another classic example of the government’s inconsistency and they have failed to recognise the benefits of having a wider consultative decision-making process.

Gavoka says they are concerned at the way the Minister of Education is casually announcing through the media what they consider as major changes relating to examinations and school curriculum.