The Fijian Teachers Association is hoping to reach 5,000 members by the end of this year.
FTA General Secretary Paula Manumanunitoga says they have around 4,634 members currently, which not only includes i-Taukei teachers but also teachers from other ethnicities.
He says the Association was established in 1934 by a few iTaukei teachers who saw that there was a need for an arm to protect the welfare of teachers.
Manumanunitoga says he believed their Association opened membership to other ethnicities in the early 2000s.
While speaking on the topic of teachers, the General Secretary says he believes that a child’s first teacher is their parents.
He says one of the things they see today is that our native language is starting to erode, and children nowadays do not see this as something important.
Manumanunitoga says if parents play their role well at home, it will assist teachers in school.
