The Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro informs that the National Federation Party has misinterpretated his comments on the use of school premises for political campaigns.
Radrodro says he was approached by a newspaper journalist to respond to questions on the use of school premises for political rallies.
He says he had responded that there is a Ministry of Education policies that any use of school premises needs to be on the consent of the Permanent Secretary for Education.
He further clarifies that he had not made any reference to that provision of the Fiji Electoral Act 2014.
Radrodro says NFP General Secretary Kamal Iyer stated that his views are warped.
The Minister has urged Iyer to first determine the validity of statements attributed to him and then make comments.
Radrodro says Iyer should instead read section 150(c) of the Fiji Electoral Act 2014 which clearly outlines that any person who conducts any campaign in any educational institution commits an offense and liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or both.
He reiterates that the Ministry will protect the integrity of their educational institutions and the wellbeing of the students and teachers by ensuring that school premises are not used for political campaigning by any party.
The Minister adds that as such we need to respect the law and emphasise on the political neutrality of our schools and every political party must operate on an equal footing under Fiji's electoral laws.
