As school starts on Monday, January 15, Permanent Secretary for education Iowane Tiko has urged the parents to take advantage of the education roadshow now held around Fiji.

He also acknowledged Vodafone Fiji and the team from the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Education for the dedicated effort shown in organising the roadshow and making it so convenient for the parents and students in all the centers around Fiji.

The roadshow is conducted around Fiji to make sure that e-ticketing cards are made available to all students prior to the commencement of the new school year.

“A total of 4,009 students are registered for the e-transport cards with 361 blue cards been re-issued and 39 yellow cards re-issued,” Mr Tiko said.

He said as of Wednesday a total of 190 year one registration was recorded.

Mr Tiko said there has been an issue of overcrowding due to the little space allocation; they have shifted most venues in two places.

“From Sigatoka town to the Sigatoka Methodist Primary school and in Labasa from the Bus stand to the Civic Centre, both for ease of space and shelter from the heat of the sun and for convenience to the parents and students.”

However, most parents, have travelled from areas such as Tailevu North have raised concerns on the e-card registration of their children

“A parent and market vendor Wati Singh said she had brought her children’s blue card for top up, however much to her disappointment she spent three days trying to get the cards topped up.

Ms Singh said the staff at the allocated booths in the Suva Bus stands and MHCC were not able to find the school’s name ‘Saint Vincent Primary’ from Natovi, and they could not top up their blue card.

She said she raised questions about why they needed schools names and yet did not have the names in the system.

Ms Singh said she had to use a nearby schools name for her children’s cards to be topped up, which was successful.

Questions sent to the Ministry of Education on this matter were unanswered.

Edited by Mohammed Zulfikar

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