The Fijian Government will make every possible effort to ensure that all children get access to quality education irrespective of where they come from.
The Hon. Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, Dr Mahendra Reddy stressed this in Suva today while officially receiving three industrial printing machines from the Australian Minister for Education and Training, Hon. Christopher Pyne.
The three Education Resource Centre printing machines worth $848,500 were donated by the Australian Government through the Access to Quality Education Programme (AQEP).
Dr Reddy said the assistance was invaluable for the Ministry of Education because it would help achieve the Fijian Government’s vision of building a knowledge-based society.
“It will help in developing a Fiji based on logic and reasoning and have a scientific basis to it. The reforms being undertaken in the Education Ministry is to lift the benchmark in respect to the quality of product that we get out of our primary and secondary schools and universities as well,” Dr Reddy said.
The Ministry of Education has printed close to 500,000 textbooks through the use of the three printing machines in the past few months.
Dr Reddy highlighted that Fiji’s education system faced various challenges which needed home grown solutions.
“We face various challenges in terms of the distribution of services, electricity, internet, adequate or good infrastructure in rural areas, sending teachers to serve in remote areas and cost of sending infrastructure materials to rural and outer island schools.
“We are now focused on review our content and curriculum, ensuring quality of staff and equipping them with right skills and materials so they are able to deliver. At the same time, ensuring that we have quality infrastructure in rural schools so the quality of education is not compromised when parents send their children to schools in remote areas,” Dr Reddy said.
Mr Pyne said the Australian Government was committed to having a consistent approach to education support in Fiji so that people here could improve their skills, education, qualifications, the standard of living and quality of life.
“One of the features of Fijian education is free education, free transport and free textbooks. The Fijian Government recognises the importance of getting the Fijian population educated, providing them skills to grow their economy to make the country more productive,” Mr Pyne said.
“Australia is very pleased to play its part through AQEP in supporting the Fijian education system. These textbooks have already meant that the turnaround for providing these resources to Fijian students has gone from 30 days to six days so it is allowing the Fijian Education Ministry to respond quickly to needs in schools right across Fiji.”