Principal refuses to take media calls

Suva Grammar Principal, Ilikimi Kunagogo has refused to make any comments and has informed his secretary not to take any calls from the media.

This follows the call by the Suva Grammar Old Students Association for the Ministry of Education to look at the low academic performance shown by the school especially in external exams.

Early this morning Interim Education Minister, Filipe Bole told Village News he is aware of the call made by the Suva Grammar Old Students Association and will look into the matter.

Yesterday afternoon, some Suva Grammar Old Students Association members led by President, Jasmine Tam met with the senior Education Ministry officials highlighting concern about the performance of the students in external examinations.

Village News has also been informed that the former Grammarians have highlighted concern that they are worried about the school losing its multi-racialism and turning into a Fijian school.

Suva Grammar School's pass rate for the Fiji School Leaving Certificate Examination last year was 39 percent while the Fiji Seventh Form Examination pass rate for 2007 was just below 50 percent. Another concern highlighted to the ministry is the Form Seven English paper pass rate which stood at a very low percentage of 29 percent.

We have also been informed that the selection criteria of students is very weak, with reports being received that parents can just go and ask the Principal to take their children in, and if they are good in rugby or athletics, they are taken in without any academic assessments. To make matters worse, Suva Grammar is a School of Excellence.

The concern has also been raised is that students are now mainly taken in at Suva Grammar on a who you know basis. Over the past eight years the focus has also increased on sports rather than academic achievement at Grammar, which has resulted in the drop in the pass rate in the exams year after year.

Grammar is one of the biggest schools in Fiji with over 1,000 students.