[lg policy] Fiji: Ministry looks at language policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Ministry looks at language policy
Ministry of Information

Aug 19 |18:04 pm

The Ministry of Education has conducted a survey with all primary and
secondary schools in the country to ensure they are following the
ministry’s language policy. And the ministry is now looking at its
current language policy.

“There are three parts to this policy. Firstly, we look at teaching of
vernacular in the lower primary, that is, classes one, two and three
where teaching is done generally in the vernacular languages- mainly
in Hindi, Fijian, Rotuman, Banaban and so forth,” the ministry
permanent secretary Dr Brij Lal Dr Lal said.

“The ministry will encourage teachers in the lower primary to teach in
vernacular so that it is easy for students to understand as well.”
Dr Lal said the teaching of the conversational i-taukei and Hindi,
which started from Class Five and goes up to secondary level, is also
encouraged by the ministry. “We would like the Fijian students of
Indian ethnicity to know a little bit of conversational Fijian and the
i-taukei students to know a little bit of conversational Hindi,” he
said.

“No child should be deprived of his or her mother tongue. That is why
we are taking a good survey throughout the country of all primary and
secondary schools to see that all these are being implemented. “So far
we have received about 60 per cent of forms with positive outcomes.
Some have some difficulties of not having the right teachers and so
forth, which we will address after all these survey forms have come
back.”

The ministry has furthermore provided Licensed Teacher Grants to
facilitate the teaching of vernacular in primary schools.

http://www.fiji.gov.fj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4671:ministry-looks-at-language-policy&catid=71:press-releases&Itemid=155

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