Human Rights Commission calls for support for teachers as drug and HIV cases in schools are increasing

In light of skyrocketing cases of drugs infiltrating our school system, and new HIV cases, the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission is calling on all stakeholders to take collective responsibility in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our teachers.

Commission Chair Pravesh Sharma says the well-being of our educators is paramount to maintaining a productive and nurturing environment for our students.

He says teachers play a critical role in building an inclusive and resilient education system for our children.

Sharma says it is crucial that the State, the teacher unions, school management and parents recognize and show support towards teachers’ mental health and psychosocial well-being.

He says there is a child protection policy in place for children, perhaps, there is a need to have similar guidelines, strategies and policies in place for teachers’ protection as well.

The Commission Chair says teachers need to undergo capacity-building training to enhance their knowledge on how to respond to students with problems of drug addiction, on disciplinary procedures and counselling students found with drugs in the classroom.

He says the teachers also need to be educated about dealing with children with HIV and other health issues in the context of discrimination.

Sharma says the State needs to invest in its teachers by not just giving them resources but by training them to deal with crisis management in classrooms.

He says already, our teachers are battling with the pressures of the job - including large class sizes, limited resources, and high expectations from parents and school managements and now with the issue of alarming numbers of drugs and HIV cases, their mental health is at stake.

The Chair says staff accommodation is one of the issues the Commission is presently dealing with, in terms of teachers’ right to live with dignity.

He says it is our collective responsibility to support our teachers and one of the strategies would be providing them with accessible mental health resources, including counselling services, support groups, and stress management workshops, specifically tailored to the needs of educators.

Sharma adds that the workloads of teachers need to be reviewed to ensure that teachers have a manageable number of students and sufficient planning time.

Questions have been sent to the Minister for Education and the Fiji Teachers Union and Fijian Teachers Association spokesperson. They are yet to respond.