'A most prominent challenge perceived by all stakeholders at this level is the rapid pace of educational reform, repeated shifts relating to policy, curriculum and assessment, and associated changes in regulations and procedures.Talanga sessions thus reveal significant teacher stress and frustration with what are perceived to be overwhelming and uncoordinated curriculum changes being rolled out. Teachers and trainees reported a sense of what was described as reform lethargy in the face of the frequency of Ministerial circulars requiring rapid change. As one secondary school teacher reported, ‘We are like machines. We don’t get to think anymore’. Teachers expressed general disappointment at lack of teacher consultation in the numerous changes being implemented and concern at the pace
and number of new initiatives. They said they were confused about whether to follow the NCF principles when implementing the new initiatives particularly in regard to assessment and examinations. There was overwhelming frustration at the new teach-3-terms worth of work/content in two terms and revise for the entire Term 3. Teachers spent a lot of time emphasising their disappointment at the swift return to external examinations, saying that they and their students had just become familiarised with and confident in the internal assessment processes...A related challenge concerns the emergence of a perceived mismatch between the educational philosophy articulated in the NCF and the MOE’s new assessment policy." - Quality Teachers and Teacher Education in Fiji, Final report 2016
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/education/documents/final-report.pdf
Bainimarama with Fiji National University students during the FNU 2017 Enrolment Drive launch at Albert Park in Suva, Saturday 26 November 2016
