Vernacular subjects should be made compulsory again and should be brought back to at least up to Year 10 in every school because they hold a lot of importance like the moral and religious values that help in character building for students nowadays.
This was the submission made by the Vunimono High School Principal Bijen Singh during the Education Act 1966 consultation that was held at the Nausori Parish Hall.
Singh says there have been a lot of talks about behavioural problems in schools, which is one of the factors contributing to poor results.
He says for about a couple of years now, there have been talks about this behavioural problem, but nobody is looking at how can we get this problem reduced or mitigated in our schools.
He adds that in Fiji, about 95 percent or more of the schools are faith-based schools and very few government schools.
Singh says when schools were established back then, they were established with missions like preserving the culture and the religion, which was an important aspect of everybody's life.
Singh further says that he feels as governments and ministers change, people have moved away from vernacular subjects because they have brought in other subjects to replace them, and they do not know the importance of it in our lives.
He says nowadays it is sad to see that people are not able to read their own holy books.
He adds he was reading a statement by a teacher that an i-Taukei student is not even able to read the Bible in Vosa-vaka-viti.
Singh says that should raise a serious concern, and if the government and the Ministry can look into that and make vernacular compulsory.
He says this way, teachers can teach the culture and religion in the schools, and he feels that will help reduce behavioural problems in schools nowadays.
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