Teachers with 100-plus days absent flagged in FEMIS clean-up
Minister Aseri Radrodro says prolonged absenteeism and inaccurate staffing data are affecting efforts to address genuine teacher shortages.
Thursday 20 August 2026 | 08:00
Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro addressing the 43rd Annual Conference of the Fiji Head Teachers Association at the Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort in Denarau, Nadi on August 19, 2026.
Photo: Waisea Nasokia
The Ministry of Education has uncovered cases of teachers recording more than 100 days of absence, raising concerns about the impact of prolonged absenteeism on schools and student learning.
Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro revealed the findings during the opening of the 43rd Annual Conference of the Fiji Head Teachers Association at the Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort in Denarau, Nadi yesterday.
“A recent FEMIS cleaning exercise identified cases of teachers with more than 100 days of recorded absence,” Mr Radrodro said.
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“Each case must be considered through the proper process, considering approved leave and genuine circumstances, where prolonged absence affects the school and student learning.”
He said schools must maintain accurate attendance records, with cases referred to the Human Resources Department where necessary.
Mr Radrodro also questioned reported teacher shortages, saying the Ministry could not properly address staffing gaps without accurate information from schools.
He said the Ministry was redeploying surplus teachers within and across divisions to schools with genuine shortages before considering further recruitment.
However, the data-cleaning exercise had identified cases where ER5 staffing information did not accurately reflect the teachers available in schools or divisions.
“Inaccurate information can result in recruitment decisions when the need could be addressed through redeployment,” he said.
Mr Radrodro told head teachers they were responsible for ensuring accurate information was provided to the Ministry.
“Some are hiding teachers in the ER5 form. You know who you are and you need to improve on the quality and accuracy of data that you fill in in your ER5.”
He said the Ministry was also verifying and reconciling staffing data against school records.
Mr Radrodro said attendance information should be considered when assessing reported teacher shortages.
He added that the Ministry continued to address human resource issues involving appointments, transfers, vacancies, payroll and acting allowances.
He said he had discussed with the permanent secretary the need to work with stakeholders to ensure vacant positions were advertised and filled before the end of the year.
The three-day FHTA conference ends tomorrow.
