CONSULTATION EDUCATION ROADSHOW WILL ROLL ON: Education Minister Reddy pushes on, ignoring NFP's criticism of his reform plan!

5/1/2016

We will continue to explore ideas and suggestions - Reddy

The Education Minister says they will continue to explore ideas and suggestions from the general public in efforts to improve the education system.

During a public consultation at Nadi Sangam College, Dr Mahendra Reddy says they have started capacity building for their officials in the Curriculum Development Unit to ensure they have the best people who understand the curriculum and are experts in their fields.

Reddy says there had been cases where senior education officers for subjects such as chemistry, physics and mathematics had a Masters in Business Administration qualification.

He says an MBA is not relevant to chemistry or physics and for that matter we now have education officers in CDU who have BSc in Chemistry.

He also stresses that government is ensuring that all students, no matter where they live, have access to a range of high quality education.

Reddy says they are now deducting a certain amount of funds from schools such as Rishikul College, Xavier College, Natabua High School, Marist Brothers High School, Jai Narayan College and others smaller schools so they can make improvements.

The public consultation will be held in Ba Sangam College today. Source: FijiVillage News

January 4, 2016

MEDIA RELEASE
CONSULTATION A WASTE OF TIME AND RESOURCES

The so-called public consultation being carried out by the Education Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy is a waste of time and taxpayers’ funds.

Instead Dr Reddy should make good his promise of October 2014 and bring to Parliament in February a Motion to set up an Education Commission to conduct an independent and comprehensive inquiry into our education system.

Dr Reddy is rightly likened by many as “Captain Chaos” or “Mr Inconsistent” given his various about-turns on many issues regarding education, thus seriously affecting the competency and career paths of our students.

Two months ago he told the nation through the media there would be no consultation on the many reforms that he had undertaken. Now he has changed his tune. In his maiden speech in Parliament in October 2014 he said there would be an Education Commission established to look into our education system. Dr Reddy then ditched this logical process in favour of his illogical and controversial reforms implemented in a haphazard manner.

2015 has been a year of chaos and confusion culminating into an error-riddled external examination as far as tabulation and correctness of results are concerned. While the Education Ministry’s website describes the results as provisional, the Minister claims the results based on raw marks are final. Yet the Ministry’s Examination Unit headquarters in Suva lists the results as UNOFFICIAL in the case of Year 10 Students.

All this has not been explained by Dr Reddy. Instead he accused the NFP of being incapable in calculating the results accurately. This is a pathetic response from a Minister vested with responsibility of shaping the educational pathway of our children.

The NFP regards the consultations as a wasteful exercise. Essentially Dr Reddy is trying to sell his reforms and is not at all genuine about seeking the views of the people.

The only way our education system can be truly analysed and genuine reforms undertaken is through an Education Commission, which is long overdue as the last one was conducted over 15 years ago.

Biman Prasad
Leader

22 Comments

Chiku

6/1/2016 12:15:11 am

The " public consultation " exercise by the agents of the Bainimarama - Khaiyum dictatorship is all bullshit. It is is a pretence of public engagement and democratic participation. It's a con job to hoodwink the public in Fiji and the international donors. Remember the " public consultations " during the Ghai constitution making exercise?
What happened to the public input?

Joe Law

6/1/2016 02:08:03 am

i think the Education Minister said right after the election that he will be focused on creating "A Society of Intelligent people"...
well, that idea seems to be onhold...

Dekho

6/1/2016 03:09:35 am

When you have a pathetic person, a pseudo intellectual as Education Minister - elevated to that position only because he was willing to suck up to Aiyaz Khaiyum - pathetic response is to be expected from him. And Dr Mahendra Reddy has been delivering a lot of that as a government minister in the Bainimarama Khaiyum dictatorship.

J J J

6/1/2016 03:57:09 am

Reference to these two articles in:

http://fijisun.com.fj/2015/12/29/gravel-extraction-concern/

http://fijisun.com.fj/2015/12/29/gravel-extraction-concern/

Please Fijileaks can you investigate further on similar issues like:

1. Is there a problem with Environment Dept and Lands Dept not being able to check all EIA, whether lease and license obtained before greenlight given for gravel extraction?

2. Is TLTB checking those extraction on a systematic manner during extraction?

3, Is Minerals Dept. checking regularly?

7/1/2016 12:02:30 am

The Priority this Chor Party Government was Roads not Rivers.

Buddhi vs empty headed Muscles-flexing link

6/1/2016 04:12:29 am

Dr. Mahendra Reddy is a Fijian politician and Member of the Parliament of Fiji. He is currently Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts.[1] He has no recognised teaching qualifications. With a BAgr from USP and Master of Science Degree and PhD in Agriculture and Resource Economics from an East-West Centre Fellowship at the University of Hawaii. He taught Economics at the University of the South Pacific, becoming a Lecturer in Development Studies in 1998 and getting promoted to Senior lecturer in 2005. In 2007, he became the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics and Associate Professor of Economics. In 2008, he became the Head of the USP School of Economics before being transferred to the Fiji Institute of Technology in October as the Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism Studies.[2]

In March 2009, he was appointed as the Chair of the Commerce Commission.[3] In July 2014, he resigned as Commerce Commission director and from the Reserve Bank of Fiji board chairman to join the FijiFirst party to contest in the elections.[4]

Reddy was elected to Parliament in the 2014 election, in which he won 5,398 votes.[5] He was appointed to Cabinet as Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts in September 2014.[1]

Dr. Biman Chand Prasad is a Fiji politician of Indian descent. He is leader of the National Federation Party and Shadow Minister for Finance, Planning and Statistics and Chairman of the Fijian Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee

Prasad was born in Dreketi in Vanua Levu and was educated at Muanidevo Indian School, Dreketi Junior Secondary School and Labasa College.[1] Having scored the 3rd highest marks in UEntrance exams at Labasa College, he was awarded a scholarship. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics from the University of the South Pacific, additionally he has a Post Graduate Certificate and post Graduate Diploma in Education. He pursued a Masters of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland.[2] Both on scholarships based upon his merit.

Academic career[edit]
Prasad became a lecturer at the University of the South Pacific in 1986.[3] He was President of the USP staff Association from 1999 - 2006, head of the School of Economics from 2003 to 2007, and given a special chair as the Professor of Economics and Dean of the faculty of Business and Economics from 2007 to 2011.[1] He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Fijian Studies and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pacific Studies.[1] Professor Prasad has published several books and journal articles. He has done consultancy work for many regional and international agencies and governments in the South Pacific region.

In April 2014, Prasad resigned as Professor of Economics from the University of the South Pacific to pursue a political career.[3]

He continues to hold Adjunct Professorships at the Griffith University, James Cook University and Punjabi University in Patiala, India.

Political career[edit]
In March 2014 Prasad was elected as leader of the NFP.[4] He competed in the 2014 election, winning 8,097 votes, the fourth highest-ranked candidate.[5] His party received 5.2 percent of the popular vote and 3 of the 50 parliamentary seats.

Prasad subsequently became the Shadow Minister for Finance, Planning and Statistics and Chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee.

It doesn't take much to realise who has more understanding and knowledge about curriculum. Being a Minister doesn't give one the 'God-Like' power to ruin our children's education

Bula Boy

6/1/2016 08:23:18 am

Reddy was never a professor.

Daniel Yaya

6/1/2016 05:18:04 am

The Education Minister is doing a great job. His reforms in Fiji's Education System has been commended by the Australia, NZ and EU.
This Minister has achieved a milestone in Fiji's Education history by producing all Fiji's Examination Results before Christmas - a feat not achieved previously.

This means he has made civil servants work hard for their money and definitely kicked a few butts and stepped on a few toes in this process.

Vinaka

maropito

6/1/2016 08:38:07 am

Ratu Daniel Yaya You have forgot to write that Anna Ready achieved not 100% pass but no one failed any Exam in Fiji.

And

6/1/2016 08:58:00 am

Daniel ha ha ! ,

Bhairo

6/1/2016 09:45:45 am

Gone are the days when Divisional Education office and Principal's school precinct were used as grog parlour.

Oh yeh gone the days when student labor was used to flex knives for weeding para, whitewash stones and bake in sun while lavish welcome ceremonies were conducted for visiting Education Officers.

Not to mention the 2x biggest bulls in town (FTA and FTU) that Dr Reddy emasculated singlehandedly. Bravo.

For those in position are subject to more accountability, Yes it Hurts!! if you are residue of good old days. Take this piece of advice will you, if you cant take the heat there is always another door.

Have spoken to many in my village , parents have no reason not to be happy and notion can probably be extrapolated to nation as a whole "Minister is doing fantastic job and this shakeup was well overdue".

Reddy Sahib you are doing well and best of regards from Brisbane.

Professor Pyare Lal

6/1/2016 11:33:36 am

Biman was mahen's mentor at school of economics and the USP staff union. Biman guided, mentored and supported mahen reddy. But mahen has become power drunk. He backstabbed his gurus Ganesh Chand and Biman.

It's true that mahen was never a professor, but he can be professor pyare lal given his antics with taxi driver wife!

Tomasi

6/1/2016 02:48:09 pm

So we have a mentally unstable idiot in Voreqe as the PM and a half baked, proud and arrogant man as the Education Minister. And if that is not sufficient, we have the most arrogant, egotistical, deceitful, lying and half baked lawyer to control our economy, finance and many other most sensitive and strategic ministries.
Such a combo is a sure recipe for national disaster folks.

Prepare yourself for greater disaster of the artificial kind, Fijiana made, courtesy of JV Bainimarama and his FFP. May God help us to protect ourselves fro a delusion of the QORVIS kind, made and packaged right under our very noses, and financed by our stolen purses.

We have really made progress, eh????

According to QORVIS, JVB and AYK,, yes THEY have. It does not matter what we think. They do the THINKING, PLANNING< SCHEMING< PSYCHING. The rest of the Fijians must forever remain silent, clap their hands or salute their Fuhrer and say, Heil Khaiyum.and VINAKA SAKA Ratu Vore. Then they will wave their new flag in BaiKai Constifusion Day. Then brave themselves for the next episode.

For the wise Fijians, they regularly turn to FijiLeaks, Fiji Coup4.5 and other free media to learn the real truth about what is going on in the new Fiji.

A Happy New Year everyone.

Dekho

6/1/2016 05:36:29 pm

Tomasi you couldn't have put it more succinctly. You are spot on!
FF does not stand for Fiji First under the corrupt, incompetent, power drunk gang running the government in Fiji. It stands for Fiji F--ed!

Sireli

6/1/2016 04:33:00 pm

Tomasi

It's stupid Fijians like you who resort to blogs for their news and vent their anger at the government for they are scared shitless to stand up like a man and talk. Ro Teimumu has more balls than all you asshole put together.

Rajend Naidu

6/1/2016 07:38:49 pm

Editor,
UNFIT MINISTERS NOT UNCOMMON
And, you can have them in coup coup land and in advanced democracies.
Here is an example from Australia.
Dr William Maley writing to the Canberra Times 6/01 says " Perhaps Peter Dutton's description of a female journalist as a " mad f---ing witch" in a text message written to comfort a sleazy ex- minister is no more than we should expect from him.
What is worrying however is that Mr Dutton currently administers a system under which an asylum seeker living in the community on a bridging visa can be placed in detention with no avenue of appeal for " actions that other people find offensive ".
Is he a fit and proper person to sit in judgement on others when his own standards of conduct are so unimpressive?"
Hugh Gibbon ct 6/01 provides an answer in his letter 'Dutton's puerile behaviour far from acceptable for a minister , as does Elizabeth Elenius (smh 7/01) who says Peter Dutton " demonstrates a grave lack of understanding and judgement, which makes him unfit to be a minister" and therefore " he must go ".
From the Fijileaks revelations it is clear that some ministers in the Bainimarama government should also go because they are not fit and proper persons to be a minister.
In Australia citizens can openly write to the newspapers to say this or that person is not fit to be a minister and demand that he steps down or is removed.
Can citizens do that in Fiji now that Fiji has become a " true democracy"?
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Rajend Naidu

6/1/2016 10:27:39 pm

Editor,
Ross Pulbrook gives us a good insight into the mental make up of some people who become government ministers ( smh letters 7/01 ).
He writes :
" No one should really be surprised ( disappointed, yes ) by the inherent attitudes regularly displayed by the Immigration Minister Peter Dutton... Dutton spent most of the 1990s working as a police officer with the Queensland Police Force, which for decades was widely recognised as one of the most racist and sexist forces in the country ( fortunately this no longer seems to be the case ). It appears that some of that old school prejudice may have rubbed off on the now minister.
It is telling to recall that when PM Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generation in 2008 Dutton was the only Coalition frontbencher to abstain from the event. Then last year he was caught out with his " joke " about the plight of Pacific Islanders facing rising seas from climate change. Now we cringe and despair at his sexist " mad f---ing witch " text about a female journalist doing her job.
It's not difficult to connect the dots with regard to Dutton's attitude to issues of the race and gender equality. However, it is difficult to justify why an individual with such ingrained beliefs should be Minister for Immigration ( or, minister for anything ) in 2016 Australia".
The same of course is true for 2016 Fiji. It is difficult to fathom how some people have become ministers when they are clearly not ministerial material.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

On-Song

7/1/2016 04:31:26 am

Add to the non-ministerial material the new expat. PSs we really do have a whole lot of SSS governing the new Fiji under the control of a Monkey with multi-portfolios. Oh!! what a concoction of dung..duh!!

Isa...

7/1/2016 01:02:51 am

Labasa -V- Labasa!

rajend naidu

7/1/2016 07:24:22 am

Editor,
We read in Shalailah Medhora's article ' Julie Bishop : We should move on after Peter Dutton's apology for sexist text ' in the guardian 7/01 that " Peter Dutton's apology to a journalist for calling her a " mad fucking witch " in a text message should be the end of the matter , the most senior woman in the Coalition ranks Julie Bishop has urged. Bishop told ABC radio on Thursday the immigration minister had " recognised the error of his ways " after accidentally sending a text intended for Jamie Brigg's to a News Corp Australia journalist Samantha Maiden. " it was an inadvertent text to a journalist, she has accepted his apology and I think in those circumstances we should meet ve on " the foreign minister said... "
At the time of the writing of this post 784 Australian citizens had commented on the article. Hardly anyone agreed with the foreign minister's thinking.
Some made very scathing comments on her comment.
I offer one relatively polite one made by Steve Fuller. He posted no Julie it is not time to move on. This is a shocking and disgusting act by a public figure who should know better but who clearly doesn't and who should have no place representing anyone . Peter Dutton should reflect on his behaviour , he should hang his head in shame, apologise to all Australians especially the young and impressionable and then resign. He has no place in public life ...But he won't cos he's a ------------".
So much for standing up for sisterhood on the part of the " most senior woman in the Coalition ranks ". So much by way of commitment to higher order values that political leaders are meant to uphold and exemplify.
No wonder such political leaders have no qualms about dancing with a dictator...
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Tomasi

8/1/2016 10:52:43 pm

Sireli, you sound very sure of yourself, yet you do not know a damn thing about me and people like me. Just hope you will learn more about people, issues and phenomena before you open your silly mouth to expose your stupidity.

Just a few questions Sireli to help me know about you and you to understand yourself better:

Where were you in 1987 coup during and after the Rabuka coup? I was there demonstrating and speaking out face to face with the soldiers and rabuka and his faceless backers and conspirators.

Where were you in 2000? I was there trying to resolve the mess that your coward and stupid cassava patch dasher and tyrant Bai created.

I have sought meetings several times for more than 20 years with Bai, Teleni and other so called leaders and dealers, and twice marched into the QEB through the main gate, trying to meet these stupid idiots after calling them on their mobiles hundred and more times, and help them to see reason.

I have not given up trying, and in the meantime, trying, through the best means possible, to help people see the light through the darkness of lies, deceit, misinformation, disinformation, subterfuge, psho manipulation, etc,.ie: Fiji Leaks, Coup 4.5, blogs, etc

So you see Sireli, I am not the coward you think I am. That's just the kind of simplistic, confused and foolish mentality we find in people like you and others who believe the lies of Bai and Kai. Please open your eyes and ears for a moment. Visit this site often and hear the truth for a change. It might help you change your mind or at least stop and think and ask:

What if Bai is a criminal and is using the army, Government and thw whole nation to protect and enrich himself at the expense of theres?

What if Fiji Leaks is telling the truth about all the things that are happening around us? Why should Fiji Leaks lie? What will they gain from it?

What if Khaiyum is an egotistical and arrogant boy? What if he does not really care about you and the rest of the nation's communities? What if he is so obsessed with power and want to control Fiji at the expense of you and all?

Just STOP and THINK again and again Sireli. Ask these questions and seek the truth for yourself. Stop beleieving everything you hear or you will be branded an idiot like your dictator and wannabe PM Vore.

Do not worry about Sireli. Many of us here know what we are talking about and are committed to the cause of helping all our different people and communities get the nest life possible here in Fiji. We have served our country, and are still doing so. We have fought the good fight, and continue to do so. We love Fiji and all our different communities. We will continue to do that through the best way we know why.

So my advice to you is shut up and go do some serious thinking before you open your stupid mouth. Or you can, if you are really a man, share with us your email address, and I will write to you personally and invite you to a meeting face to face. I can help you see the TRUTH and it appears you are still lost, confused or just plain stupid and lazy to think. Now decide and let us know.

On-Song

10/1/2016 12:43:46 am

Latest outbursts by Ed. Minister Reddy sums it all nicely:
1. School systems in the country had failed to inculcate 'independence' in the minds of students over the years
(because it was never in the curriculum!!)
2. The latest:'School Heads blamed and will be seriously dealt with for Year 6 students' zero marks because their Index Numbers were not written down in the test papers. (very nice indeed because the Heads were not even allowed into the exam rooms ONLY the Ministry appointed supervisors who handled all papers!!!!!) Plainly and Simply the Minister for Education needs his head examined!!

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CONSULTATION EDUCATION ROADSHOW WILL ROLL ON: Education Minister Reddy pushes on, ignoring NFP's criticism of his reform plan!

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