Parents call for action as teacher vacancy drags on at Labasa school

A Labasa school has been without a Physics teacher for the past 10 weeks.

External examination candidates at Waiqele College, outside Labasa Town, are concerned about their preparedness for national examinations and their future academic pathways.

Nine students from Year 11 to Year 13, including those sitting external exams this year, have been left struggling to cope with complex Physics concepts without specialist guidance.

Parents say the prolonged gap in teaching is unfair and could have long-term consequences for students competing at national level.

Parents who spoke to this masthead expressed disappointment at the delayed response of the Ministry of Education in filling the teaching position.

Parent Mukesh Prasad, a sugarcane farmer, said his Year 13 son has repeatedly expressed difficulty revising and understanding Physics lessons without a properly allocated teacher.

He said education was the key to improving their lives and had always encouraged his son’s studies.

However, the absence of a Physics teacher for external examination students has become a concern.

“I am waiting for the ministry to respond to our request. If they don't by this first term, I might opt to relocate my son to another school for Year 13,” he said.

A mother, Temalesi Kuta, said her niece, a Year 12 student, has been struggling with Physics too.

She said the situation could negatively impact students’ preparation for external examinations.

School trustee Narendra Prasad said his granddaughter, also in Year 12, continues to raise concerns about the subject.

He said school management had raised the issue with the Ministry in advance, but no concrete action had been taken.

School roll concerns

School manager Emmanual Sagar Jeet said the Ministry had lost touch with the educational needs of students in this school.

He said nine Physics students have been affected. Mr Jeet said this was not the first time a subject teacher had been posted weeks into a school term.

“For four weeks this term, we did not have an Agriculture and Accounting teacher. We requested the Ministry and they were eventually deployed, but the Physics teacher request is still unanswered,” he said.

He described the Ministry’s Labasa office as a “rubber stamp” setup.

“Despite writing emails and visiting the office many times, there has been no response. They say the request is still in process,” he said.

He said with a school roll of only 142, numbers could decline further if parents choose to relocate their children.

“It is a sad day for Waiqele College because of the failure on the part of the Ministry,” he said.

Mr Jeet said the school had previously produced strong external examination results due to the calibre of its students.

“We have strong academic calibre in our students, yet the Ministry is still not able to send a competent Physics teacher. It’s a shame,” he said.

Several attempts were made to obtain a comment from the permanent secretary for Education, Navin Raj, via Viber calls, messages, and email, but were unsuccessful.