It is not easy being a teacher now - Kepa

SODELPA MP, Ro Teimumu Kepa says it is not easy being a teacher now as just in the past few years, allocations for counsellors, school chaplains and boarding school allowances have been removed from the budget.

In her response to the COVID-19 Response Budget, Ro Teimumu says the sad thing about this is that the schools that are impacted particularly by the absence of school chaplains and boarding school allowance are mostly schools where the indigenous Fijians are the majority.

She says the indigenous Fijians have been told over the years that these schools have been established for them.

She says students themselves had highlighted to the Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum last year that lack of discipline is of great concern to them.

Ro Teimumu says there is so much indiscipline in schools and the Attorney General does not bother to find out what is the root cause to this negative behaviour.

Meanwhile, Ro Teimumu says she welcomes the 20 percent reduction in her parliamentary salary as it is for a worthy cause however, the Prime Minister and Minister should take a reduction of 50 percent to make it meaningful as this will be the first time ever for them to take a pay cut.