No Difference In Teaching Quality And Curriculum: Kumar On School Zoning

There is no distinction between what is offered in one school and what is offered in another, says Premila Kumar, the Minister of Education.

She stated this after being questioned by the media on the school zoning policy.

“Our policies are extremely clear from the perspective of ensuring every school delivers the same curriculum and the ministry appoints the teachers,” she said.

“That uniformity is maintained and the results that came out for Year 13, you all can see that the rural schools have done very well.”

Ms Kumar said that people perceived that schools located in urban areas were far better than rural areas.

“And previously the mentality was always there that urban schools are well resourced and therefore I should send a child to urban school.

“And that there are certain schools which have got names that people know but in fact, they don’t know the performance of those schools but they are still carried away by certain schools not knowing how the results are.”

Ms Kumar said the school zoning policy was useful during the pandemic.

“Because we are going through a pandemic, we have to control our number of children in a classroom and so we are applying a zoning policy.“Children who are in that zone has multiple schools and they  have a choice.

“We are specifically doing that so

that we are able to save on bus fares and deal with social issues.”

She went on to say that if parents can afford it, they should send their children to private schools, but there are policies  in place if they wish to send their children to public schools.

Feedback:  sheenal.kumar@fijisun.com.fj