The Public Service Commission yesterday welcomed back the first batch of returning Regional Volunteer Teachers, after completion of their assignment with the Republic of Marshall Island’s Ministry of Education.
Under Fiji’s Development Cooperation with our neighboring regional countries, a group of twelve retired teachers took up the call as volunteers under the Fiji Volunteers Scheme in September of 2012. Returning volunteers were presented with Certificates of Participation and the gratitude and thanks of the permanent secretary for Public Service, Mr Parmesh Chand on behalf of the Fijian Government.
Mr Chand, who had previously visited the volunteers on a trip to the Republic of Marshall Islands, said the volunteer teachers were great ambassadors of our country.
The gaining popularity of the Fiji Volunteer Service has spoken for itself as several of the teachers were offered contracts by the Government of the Republic of Marshall Islands to return as contracted teachers and school administrators.
Ten more volunteer teachers have been requested by the Republic of Marshall Islands Government to further assist their Ministry of Education. This will again be facilitated by the Fiji Volunteer Service who is looking to send the second batch of volunteers’ teachers in August this year.
The returning volunteers shared their experience with the staff of the Public Service Commission, discussing the Fijian community in the Republic of Marshall Islands, the challenged faced, the differences in the education systems of the two countries and how they as a group banded together as they were all far away from home.
Mrs Tokasa Veitayaki, who spoke on behalf of the group, shared their commitment to helping the students of their schools, sometimes foregoing their scheduled trips back to Fiji to be able to provide summer classes to those students who needed extra help.
The Fiji Volunteer Services currently engages 9 teachers in Vanuatu, 6 teachers in Nauru and last month, 9 teachers left our shores for Tuvalu.
Under the Fiji Volunteer Service, professionals are engaged following requests from hosting organisations both locally and regionally for sharing of expertise and development of human resources capacity in areas such as education, health, climate change, disaster preparedness and management, HIV/AIDS prevention and other areas of national and regional interest.
-ENDS-