Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro has hit back at Opposition MP and former Education Minister Premila Kumar, saying she should be the last person to speak on issues concerning the Ministry of Education.
In response to Kumar's comments that Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka should consider replacing Radrodro if he cannot resolve what she describes as recurring salary and allowance issues affecting teachers, Radrodro claims the Ministry is still trying to address issues left behind by Kumar and her former Director of Human Resources.
He says some officers were appointed during their tenure, and the Ministry now has to work with them and teach them how to operate professionally and do things correctly.
Radrodro also says he is still dealing with cases involving teachers who have remained unpaid for several years, including during Kumar's tenure as Education Minister.
He says the difference under the Coalition Government is that teachers are now allowed to speak up about their grievances, either through their teacher unions or by communicating directly with his office.
He claims that during Kumar's tenure, teachers were scared to publicly voice their complaints and the two teacher unions were ignored.
Radrodro says his office does its best to address concerns raised by teachers.
On the current pay issues affecting teachers, Radrodro says he has instructed the Permanent Secretary for Education to seek assistance from the Permanent Secretary for Finance to have the affected teachers' payments processed immediately.
