1235 Teaching Posts To Fill: Ministry

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Updated: 6:26am – More than 1000 teachers sat a compulsory proficiency test to fill the 1235 teaching posts the Ministry of Education will have to fill this year.

The test had two sessions, the first was a literacy examination that lasted 40 minutes and the second part was on job descriptions they applied for among other questions.

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The Ministry of Education’s deputy permanent secretary, Timoci Bure, said 453 posts for primary schools and 782 for secondary schools were vacant at the moment.

Speaking on behalf of the permanent secretary Iowane Tiko, he said the new posts would be filled by those who had applied and had sat the teacher’s test.

“We want the best teachers to be posted to schools to deliver quality teaching to our students,” Mr Bure said.

“The way forward for the ministry is to provide quality teaching for the children who will be future leaders of the country.”

He said the test papers would be marked and results sent to teachers.

The posting of successful applicants will be made before January 10.

When asked on the numbers who had sat the test Mr Bure estimated it to be more than 1000. “We’ll get the exact numbers from all the centres today,” he said.

As for transportation purposes to outer islands Mr Bure said the ministry was liaising on the availability of government vessels and with local shipping companies.

According to Mr Bure the shipping schedule had been supplied by the director shipping and the director planning from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Works.

“The scheduled trips cover the whole of the Lau Group, Rotuma and the islands of Gau, Nairai and Batiki in Lomaiviti,” he said.

Teachers should make their own arrangements with the shipping companies.

“Teachers in island schools should check with MSAF on the shipping schedules to their respective teaching areas.”

For teachers and students in Rotuma, who spend their Christmas and New Year in Viti Levu, Mr Bure said the Government vessel “MV Cagivou” would leave Suva on January 06.

“This trip will be for teachers and students only,” Mr Bure said.

Teachers and students are advised to be at Government Shipping Services (GSS) Walu Bay an hour before departure.

“MSAF will conduct safety briefing at the canteen and on completion. It will start calling out names for boarding in the presence of MSAF officers,” he said.

“Any passenger not a teacher wanting to board will have to liaise directly with GSS. All cargo will be loaded before close of business on January 5.”

And a reminder has been sent to both the director primary and director secondary schools to ensure all appointments and transfer letters for staff deployed or transferred to the maritime schools are ready on the mentioned dates.

The Curriculum Advisory Services (CAS) has been asked to ensure that all textbooks for these islands are packed and ready for dispatch as scheduled.

The director finance has been advised to ensure that milk and weet bix are ready for dispatch to all the primary schools concerned.

The shipping schedules for January are as follows –

January 05 – Vessel: Princess Civa to Naroi, Keteira, Cakova, Maloku in Moala; Lomaji and Qalikarua in Matuku and Tovu and Udu in Totoya.      

January 06 – MV Cagivou departs for Rotuma

January 09 – MV Lomaiviti Princess II departs for Northern Lau – Vanuabalavu, Yacata, Cikobia, Tuvuca, Cicia.

January 09 – MV Brianna departs for upper Southern Lau – Vanuavatu, Lakeba, Nayau, Oneata, Moce, Komo, Namuka.

January 09 – MV Liahona departs for lower Southern Lau – Kabara, Fulaga, Ogea, Vatoa, Ono-i-Lau.

January 14 – MV Lomaiviti Princess II departs for Lomaiviti.

Mr Bure urged teachers to be at their schools on January 10 for a staff meeting and begin preparations for the start of the 2018 school calendar on January 15.

-Fiji Sun

Featured image: Teaching Position applicants sitting their test on January 2, 2017 at the Jai Narayan College in Suva as part of the selection process required by the Ministry of Education. Photo: Vilimoni Vaganalau

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