The Minister of Education, Mr Filipe Bole wishes to assure the nation that the phasing out of national external examinations does not have any bearing on the education system meeting international standards nor will it reduce our literacy rate.
Mr Bole said the issue of international standard is more of an academic cliché than of education practice.
“However, in the recent past we have seen the migration of professionals and skilled workers overseas to find better jobs and they got them.
“We have lost doctors, nurses, technicians, accountants, teachers to Australia , New Zealand , United States and some neighbouring Pacific island nations.
“Even our security forces are rated amongst the best in the world. These are evident enough that our education system is reliable, valid and functional.”
Mr Bole said as for our literacy rate, the removal of examinations will not reduce but increase it.
“ The removal of examinations means more children will remain in schools. In the past many students have dropped out because they failed examinations.”
“Those who are victims of examinations are still poor in numeracy and literacy skills. This is because teachers were always under pressure to cover the syllabus before examinations.
“As a result individual student needs were compromised. Today the Ministry has designed various assessment methods that will measure individual performances and competence.
“Literacy rate is determined not only by students’ ability to read and write but also the accessibility to resources and acquisition of quality education.”
Fiji has just recently achieved 100% universal primary education in its Millennium Development Goal 2 (MDG 2) well before 2015 as planned compared to many other third world countries.
This indicates that the educational disadvantaged are accessible to education resources.
“In quality education, the Fiji National University has taken over the training of our teachers. Beginning next year, students from kindergarten up to secondary schools will be taught by university graduates.
“ Education is undoubtedly an expensive commodity.
The government is therefore offering free education so that every child completes a 12 year compulsory basic education.
Parents today are assisted by the government in paying the teachers, students’ tuition fee, scholarships, building grants, textbooks and transport.”
The Minister said, all that parents need to do is to see that their children are healthy, clothed properly, well fed and encouraged to go to school.
In conclusion, the Minister says, “If people continue to think education is expensive, try ignorance.”