Fiji’s Ministry of Education says 99.4 per cent of its teachers are fully vaccinated, 11 others have received their first jab, and one exempted unlike 130 whose contracts were terminated in October under the ‘No Jab No Job’ policy because they failed to acquire their first jab by 15 August.
“Those teachers who have been terminated had written to the ministry expressing their decision not to get vaccinated [and] have been replaced,” the ministry said in a statement.
Thirteen (13) other teachers who applied for exemption are waiting to hear back from the Permanent Secretary for Health.
“It is indeed pleasing to see that from a large number of teachers, most have been fully vaccinated. It gives us reassurance that we will have fully vaccinated teachers in classrooms when schools start. We are also recruiting to ensure all schools are fully staffed,” Minister for Education Premila Kumar said.
The ministry is currently recruiting teachers for Early Childhood Education (ECE), Special and Inclusive, Primary and Secondary schools. The advertisement is open so qualified teachers with valid teacher registration certificates can still apply.
While numerous applications are being received from qualified secondary teachers, the number of applications received from qualified primary and ECE teachers remain low. Kumar is encouraging students who will be progressing for tertiary studies to consider taking up studies in Special and Inclusive Education, ECE and Primary Education, as the ministry needs to employ qualified teachers in these crucial areas.
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