Annual exams from year 6 to Year 10 to be replaced by final exams

All school based annual exams from year 6 to Year 10 will now be replaced by the final exams that will be prepared by the Ministry.

While speaking at the National Education Conference at the Fiji National University Campus in Lautoka today, Education Minister, Doctor Mahendra Reddy said this will ensure that the coverage of the exam is same, the exam is of the same level and standard and the marking intensity is same across the schools in Fiji.

He added a marking and solutions guide will be provided by their Curriculum Division Unit and Exams office which will be provided to all schools which will be used by the teachers to mark the final exams.

He said answer scripts for exams in Year 6, 10, 12 and 13 will be marked by a different set of examiners appointed by the Ministry.

Doctor Reddy said despite having exams from Year 6, students will be allowed to progress to Year 10.

However following Year 10, students will have to choose which stream they wish to further their education, the Higher Education Stream or the Technical Education Stream.

The Ministry of Education also wants to appoint a full time Administration Assistant in every Primary and Secondary School whose only job is to take all the administrative work and data entry that was previously undertaken by teachers.

He said this will reduce teacher administrative load by a minimum of 60 percent so that they can return to undertake their core responsibility.

He stressed the teachers will pass all their data entry to this administration officer.

Dr. Reddy said they will re-look at the Job Descriptions of Principles and Head Teachers so that they ensure that teachers spend the maximum time in teaching and learning and also attend to disciplinary matters without having to send Divisional Officers as Police officers.

The Education Ministry will also work closely with schools to uplift their infrastructure.

Libraries will also be well resourced and staffed.

Doctor Reddy added that they will ask that all syllabus be completed by term II so that term 3 is spent on structured revision work.

He also said they will identify teachers from schools with minimum of 5 years of teaching experience and they will be provided with specialised training for infant teaching.

Their salary will be revised and from 2016, all students in Year 1 and 2 will only be taught by these Infant teachers.

The Ministry will also adopt under-performing schools and appoint proven Principals and Head Teachers to move from school to school and ensure that the schools are functioning according to their expectation.

These roving Principals and Head Teachers will spend about two to three weeks at a school.

He said they will revise their curriculum in line with curriculums of Schools in Australia, New Zealand and India.