ADDRESSING TEACHER SHORTAGE IN SCHOOLS
In light of the recent issue raised during the Parliament session this week, the Minister for Education, Hon. Aseri Radrodro wishes to inform educational stakeholders that the Ministry is working on resolving the concern on teacher shortage in schools.
“Teacher shortage is a global issue, and Fiji is one of the many countries struggling to retain teachers, as developed countries offer more lucrative renumeration packages that attract our teachers. Addressing teacher shortage in our schools requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on improving recruitment, retention, and overall job satisfaction.” said Hon. Radrodro.
Fiji’s education system faces a challenge in maintaining a strong teaching workforce. The global demand for skilled educators is pulling qualified Fijian teachers towards overseas opportunities. These positions offer significantly higher salaries and improved working environments, creating a ‘brain drain’ effect that directly impacts the quality of education within Fiji. This loss highlights the intense international competition for educational talent, where nations actively seek to recruit the best teachers.
Furthermore, even within Fiji, there’s a persistent struggle to staff remote and rural schools with qualified teachers. These areas often lack the amenities and professional development opportunities found in urban centers, making them less attractive to educators. This disparity creates an uneven distribution of educational quality, potentially disadvantaging students in rural communities.
Despite these challenges, the Ministry of Education is actively working to address the staffing issues. Recognizing the importance of timely and efficient teacher placement, the Ministry is focused on streamlining its recruitment and placement processes to ensure timely and efficient filling of vacant positions.
“As of January 2024, MOE has started recruiting final year students who are enrolled in Diploma in Education (Primary/547) and Bachelors in Education (Primary/Secondary) from the Teacher Training Institutes. These final year students fulfill all the requirements of the Fiji Teachers Registration Authority (FTRA) including induction, and a $25 registration fees for limited authority to teach and this is valid for 1 year,” said Hon. Radrodro.
He adds that graduates from USP with Bachelor’s degree in ECCE (Early Childhood Education and Care) are eligible to teach lower primary. As the MOE has embarked on, at the beginning of the 2025 academic year, an induction for the new teachers and CAS provides curriculum support for these teachers during the induction program.
Hon. Radrodro further states that through the eLearning platform, Curriculum Advisory Unit subject specialists are recording lessons and this will be uploaded on the learning hub for the schools to access. For PEMAC subjects, the utilisation of talented athletes in the communities will be recruited to impart their skills and knowledge, whereby they will be issued with limited authority to teach as per the school timetable.
The Coalition Government with the Ministry of Education have implemented policies that have favored teacher retention, this includes the increasing of the retirement age to 60. For the last 4 years the number of teachers lost to retirement have significantly decreased, in 2022 around 183 teachers retired, however from 2023 till date, only 14 have exited the teaching profession due to retirement.
“Teacher retention is one of the key priorities for the Ministry of Education and we understand that reviewing teacher renumeration is important in retention. Thats why the Ministry has implemented a step up in salaries for Assistant Teachers, salary upgrades for 200+ teachers in 2024 and now the new incentive for teachers with 20-30years experience. However the Ministry can only work within its allocated budget and other initiatives would require more finance.” stated Hon. Radrodro.
Minister Radrodro asserted that the Heads of Schools need to reach out to their nearest District Education Office for assistance regarding their respective teacher shortage issues. Furthermore, the Primary and Secondary section are working closely with Human Resources Department to appoint respective teacher appointees.
The case with Baulevu High School which was raised this week has been resolved. The teachers in question have been appointed and Senior Officials have been directed to monitor such issues and ensure that it is minimised.
The Education Minister states that addressing the teacher shortage in Fiji requires a concerted effort from Government Ministries, educational institutions, and communities and by implementing a combination of these strategies, policymakers, education leaders, and stakeholders can work together to address teacher shortages and ensure that all students have access to high-quality education provided by qualified and dedicated educators.
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