‘Don’t blame the children, parents

Children alone do not deserve to carry the burden of failure in school, says Adi Pasemaca Valalau, of Naduri Village in Macuata.

She made the comments during the Macuata Provincial Council meeting at Sasa Village yesterday, discussing the results of the 2024 Fiji Year 8 Examination.

She was one of two females among the traditional leaders attending the meeting.

She said children were confused by the curriculum, which had changed three times over the past two decades, particularly under three different education ministers.

“When curriculum changes, teachers take their time to learn it. Only they are able to effectively pass the knowledge to our children,” Adi Pasemaca said.

“While adjustment and learning take time, how can we expect children to pass their exams?” she asked.

“Back in our day, what we learned in school were the same lessons we taught our children, and I could help them with their homework,” she said.

“But now, many parents don’t even know what kind of homework their children are getting and can’t guide them.”

She said too often parents had been blamed for their children’s failure in school, but it’s the system itself that needed reviewing.

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