FTU hoping the issue of MY APA payments is addressed in the budget

The Fiji Teachers Union is hoping that the issue of teachers who have not received their annual increment under the My Annual Performance Assessment Payments for the past 3 years is addressed in the 2020/2021 National Budget.

General Secretary Agni Deo Singh says this is to ensure that teachers are rewarded for the hard work that they do which is a legitimate expectation.

Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had earlier said in parliament that the 2017/2018 My Annual Performance Assessment Payments will be made to the Ministry of Education staff who have been assessed and moderated as eligible for performance pay increase before the end of this financial year.

Singh says there is also an urgent need for more classrooms in some schools as some classrooms are highly populated and these classes need to be split for better education.

$1.5 million was allocated for construction of new facilities in the 2019/2020 National Budget.

When asked if asking for an increase in the number of teachers and classrooms is justified considering the significant drop in government revenue, Singh says it is for the state to see how best they can make provisions within the constraints to ensure that the quality of education is not affected.

Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum will deliver the national budget address at 7.30pm this Friday.