Teacher Mereani Roko was so happy because Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum answered all her questions on contracts on Friday.

In her excitement, after the consultations at Nasavusavu District School in Savusavu on Friday, she forgot to shake his hands and say thank you.
When she realised it, it was too late, he had left for Labasa.

So she followed him to Labasa in an 84km trip just to say thank you to him.

Ms Roko, the communication assistant lecturer of Technical College of Fiji, in Bua, has been a teacher for the past 32 years.

She told Mr Sayed-Khaiyum before a gathering of more than 100 teachers at Labasa College that she had forgotten to say ‘thank you’.

“Sir, I forgot to say thank you after you answered my questions on the teachers’ contract in the morning in Savusavu,” Mrs Roko said.

“I want to say that I am very happy with the idea of the reform being brought up in the civil service by you,” she said.

“We need to educate the teachers first because Fiji begins with us.

“I, as a mother and wife, sacrificed a lot for my husband and children,” she said.

“Teachers do more than what we expect.

“As a teacher and lecturer I understand the burden you carry.

“Sir, I will be retiring very soon but before I do, I would like to say thank you for the job evaluation.

“I hope you accept my appreciation.”

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said he was surprised to see the same person in the consultation.

“Thank you for coming,” he said.

Mismanagement
Meanwhile, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said there had been mismanagement issues in the administration arm of Ministry of Education.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said this during the job evaluation consultation at Nasavusavu District School.

“Most of them have been inconsistent in the management and executing reforms,” he said.

“We have seen in some places there are senior education officers and district education officers where they have a different relationship with the teachers and give various favours to them.”

Edited by Ranoba Baoa
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