Students from Navosa Central College are without a Commercial Studies teacher since the beginning of Term 1 and concerns are being raised on the quality and willingness of teachers to join the education sector as some teachers do not want to serve in rural and remote schools.
This has been raised by Navosa Central College Acting Head of School Aseri Uluinavucu during public consultation on the Education Act 1966 at Namataku District School in Navosa, saying that the law needs to be strengthened in this area.
He says students wishing to join the teaching profession should sign an undertaking that they will serve in the schools assigned to them by the Ministry.
He says one teacher signed his appointment letter and requested to go and buy things for his quarters, and while on his way, the teacher sent an email that he does not think he can live at the quarters.
The Acting Head of School says this is sometimes frustrating for them as they want to normalise the school program.
Uluinavucu says they are now hearing excuses from some new teachers who just graduated that their parents are sickly, so they cannot teach in rural and remote schools.
He is calling on the Ministry to recruit teachers who can tackle the challenges of teaching in rural and remote schools because students' learning is being affected.
The Acting Head of School is also calling on the Ministry to recognise teachers in rural and remote schools because some have spent more than 10 years in the area and have gone through the challenges which schools in urban areas are not familiar with.
Uluinavucu highlighted the need for a full review of the Act so it also captures the needs of rural and remote schools because he believes that the current Act does not capture the challenges of each school but paints all schools the same.
