ANZ 115th

FIJI PRINCIPALS

ASSOCIATION

CONFERENCE

22-23 APRIL 2015

ICT CENTRE

UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

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MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, NATIONAL HERITAGE,

CULTURE AND ARTS

Dr Mahendra Reddy

I am indeed pleased to contribute to the edition of the 115th Fiji Principals Association Conference Booklet and provide an insight to the current leaders of secondary education in Fiji.

I must acknowledge that the Fiji Principals Association Conference is a Professional Educational Leaders Conference and it is a uniquely comprehensive event that is the result of the coordinated efforts of School Principals within Fiji.

The Conference has established itself as an important forum for the secondary school leaders to gather and exchange ideas about issues, challenges and educational dynamics in Fiji.

What really matters to people in our society and communities that characterizes greatness is not so much of what you acquire and achieve as an individual, or how much you possess to enrich your own lives but it is how much you can give or contribute to the success of others.

A good leader will inspire hope, ignite the imagination, instill the love for learning, inspire the passion for success, impart the courage to endure hardship and develop the faith to accomplish the impossible.

Fiji is now a fairer, a more just, and a more compassionate society. And against the backdrop of a rapidly strengthening economy, our war against poverty, crime, sickness and climate change will soon prevail if we make changes in education work for us and not against us.

With the theme “Re – Defining Quality Education”, I am absolutely certain that the culmination of this Annual Conference will allow you to question the current body of knowledge with regard to the work that you do and the broader field of secondary education.

I hope that together we will work concertedly towards our common goal and purpose and that is to provide quality education for change, peace and progress. I wish the Fiji Principals Association a fruitful and productive conference in the two days event.

Honourable Dr. Mahendra Reddy Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts

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CONFERENCE PROGRAM

7.30-8.30am Registration

8.40-8.45am Arrival of Chief Guest Principal Marist Cham Inst.

8.45-9.00 Choir Item & Devotion Rev. Iliesa Naivalu

National Anthem — Led by Choir

9.00-9.15am President’s Address: Principal Lelean Memorial School Rev. Colati Ledua.

9.15-9.55am Keynote Address: Prof. Rajesh Chandra Vice Chancellor - USP

Principal Gospel High

9.55-10am Vote of Thanks Principal Suva Grammar Sch.

10-10.30am Morning Tea [USP Cafeteria - Vouchers]

10.30-10.45am Sponsor session 1 — BSP Life

10.45-11.30am ASPECTS OF QUALITY EDUCATION - Q & A Speaker: Dr Salanieta Bakalevu

Principal Adi Cakobau

11.30-11.45am Sponsor session 2 — LICI

11.45-12.30pm POLICIES THAT IMPACT QUALITY EDUCATION - Q & A Speaker: Dr Akhila Nand Sharma

Principal Dudley High

12.30-12.45pm Sponsor session 3 — VODAFONE

12.45-2.00pm Lunch [USP Cafeteria - Vouchers]

2.00-2.15pm Sponsor session 4 - CREST CHICKEN

2.15-3.00pm STANDARDS OF QUALITY EDUCATION - Q & A Speaker: Dr Richard Wah

Principal Marist Brothers

3.00-4.00PM PRINCIPALS NETWORKING—Evaluating current practices & FPA REGISTRATION Constitutional review

Chairperson: President FPA

4.00-4.15 Sponsor session 5 - TFL

6.30-9.30pm Conference Dinner and Awards Vine Yard Palace Victoria Parade, Suva

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PROGRAM—DAY 2

8.00-8.25am Tour of booths

8.25-8.30am Devotion

8.30-9.15am IMPLEMENTING AND SUSTAINING QUALITY EDUCATION. Speaker: Mrs Kelera Taloga

Mr Mika Mudreilagi

9.15-9.30am Q & A session

9.30-9.45am Sponsor session 6 - FHL

9.45-10.15am Morning Tea [USP Cafeteria - Vouchers]

10.15-11.15am Business Session Mr Colati Ledua

11.15-11.30am Sponsor session 7 - ANZ

11.15-12.45pm Ministry of Education Session

12.45-1.15pm Launch of FPA Website & Closing of Conference

by Minister for Education

1.30pm Lunch [USP Cafeteria - Vouchers]

End of Conference

F P A E X E C U T I V E S

President Colati Ledua Lelean Memorial School

Secretary Miriama Naicegucegu Yat Sen Secondary School

Treasurer Waisake Ravatu [Retired]

Daiana Nainoca Gospel High School

Napolioni Silatolu Dudley High School

Mikaele Mudreilagi Basden Anglican College

Salote Nawalowalo [Retired]

John Atalifo Marist Brothers High

Francis Varea Marist Champagnat

Mereoni Motukiliu DAV College

Laisa Soko Adi Cakabau School

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT FIJI PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATION

Mr Colati Ledua

I am indeed humbled to be at the helm of leadership for the Fiji Principal Association for the upcoming 115th Conference especially when we are going through the reforms which I believe will bring about the desired products within our education system. The association has come a long way in its existence and has weathered multiple storms of changes along the way. We now stand proud as a result of the sacrifices of our predecessors and the commitment and support we continually receive from the Ministry of Education. As a professional organisation, we always believe in mutual partnership and working cooperatively with all the stake holders that we interact with; parents; school management; old scholars and most importantly the Ministry of Education. Redefining Education as a theme for this conference augurs well with the reforms initiated by the Honourable Minister of Education. As implementers of the reforms; school Principals should be in the forefront of ensuring the delivery of quality education to students under our care. This conference hopefully will equip the school Principal to be confident in reassessing their leadership qualities; and also be confident in carrying out the reforms successfully without fear. My best wishes to all the participants and may we enjoy our fellowship for the next two days.

Colati Ledua (Rev) President

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CHIEF GUEST

DR RAJESH CHANDRA

REDEFINING QUALITY

EDUCATION

Rajesh Chandra is a Fijian academic who in February 2005 was ap-pointed the first Vice-Chancellor of the newly founded University of Fiji. He is at present Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South Pa-cific.

Chandra was born in Maro in Nadroga Navosa Province. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of the South Pacific with distinction. and holds a PhD in Industrial/Development Geography, which he completed between 1981 and 1985 at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of more than 45 articles in academic jour-nals and books. He is also the author or editor of five books, including Industrialization and Development in the Third World and An Atlas of Fiji, which is used as a textbook in all Fijian secondary schools.

Chandra served on the staff of the University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji's older university, from 1975 to 2005, before taking up the Vice-Chancellorship of the new University of Fiji. He was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the USP for nine years, and also served for three years as Acting Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and Director of Planning and Development. From 1987 to 1988, he was Head of the School of Social and Economic Development, and from 1994 to 1996, of the Geography Department.

Chandra served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Universities Study Abroad Consortium (CUSAC) from 1999 to 2003. He has been a visiting professor or research fellow at numerous institutions, including McGill University, the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Canterbury University, the National Centre for Development Studies of the Australian National University, and the Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center, in Honolulu.

Dr Chandra is married with two children, a boy and a girl.

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DIFFERENT ASPECTS

OF QUALITY EDUCATION

DR SALANIETA BAKALEVU

Dr Salanieta Bakalevu is a Fijian educator and

presently lecturer in mathematics education at the

University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji.

Dr Bakalevu obtained her undergraduate degree and

teaching qualification from the University of the

South Pacific, and Ph.D (Mathematics Education)

at the University of Waikato.

Taught in secondary schools in Fiji for several years

and was involved with the Curriculum Development

Unit as a Curriculum officer, before moving into the

higher levels of teaching at tertiary education.

At the USP Dr Bakalevu has been involved in the

as instructional designer at the Distance & Flexible

Learning Centre. She was also Head of the Learning

Centre at the Fiji Institute of Technology.

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DR AKHILA NAND SHARMA

POLICIES THAT IMPACT

QUALITY EDUCATION

After teaching for 46 years at various levels of the education system in Fiji [primary, secondary and tertiary], Associate Professor Akhila Nand Sharma finally retired from the University of the South Pacific’s School of Education on 31 March 2015. In a warm farewell ceremony, the members of the School of Education described him as a competent, pleasant and helpful teacher and leader. In his departing address, he said he always loved his students and colleagues as well as his work and the institution. “This was a key to my success and survival for 46 years” he said.

He was trained as a primary school teacher’ then took his first degree in secondary teaching, with postgraduate diploma in education from Massey University (NZ). His MEd degree from the University of New England (Aust.) thesis was on “Multi-craft in Fijian Secondary Schools”. His Doctor of Education from Bristol University (UK) included coursework and a thesis on TVET in Fijian Secondary Schools. This was subsequently published as a book (2000) entitled ‘Vocational Education and Training in Fiji: Management at the Secondary School level’. He obtained a diploma in labour studies and cooperation in the service of development from the Asian-Afro Institute in Israel in 1984.

Early in his career he taught at all levels of primary education and then served as a secondary school principal for twelve years, while at tertiary he taught for 26 years in the School of Education of the University of the South Pacific.

As the Head of School of Education, he was a member of several regional organizations including the coordinator of the teacher education for USP-ACCU ESD Project and a member of Pacific Association of Teacher Educators. He was a member of: USP Senate, ASQC, FALE Executive Committee, and FALE Flexi-school committee, PRIDE Management Committee, SOE Research and Postgraduate Committee, SOE Teaching & Learning Committee.

In the inaugural USP/AusAid Distance and Flexible Learning showcase in March 2004, he was awarded the first prize for his excellent innovations and teaching in distance and flexible learning.

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DR RICHARD WAH

STANDARDS OF

QUALITY EDUCATION

Dr Richard Wah has led the Fiji Higher Education Commission as its founding chair since 2010. He has worked and presented papers in over 25 countries in topics ranging from distance education, educational assessment, monitoring and evaluation, qualification frameworks and IT management systems in education especially with regards to EFA goals, and presented over 20 papers in international conferences and invited presentations.

Richard was a founding coordinator of the World Health Organisation’s Pacific Open Learning HealthNet and has been a founding co-Vice Chair of the Commonwealth of Learning’s Transnational Qualifications Framework.

Richard’s undergraduate degree is a BSc in Chemistry and Biology, and GCE from USP. His MSc dissertation, undertaken in England, introduced him to a perspective into the world of the various types of impairment. At University of Queensland his PhD thesis was entitled “A postcolonial perspective of distance education. A case study of the University of the South Pacific.” This gave him an insight into deconstruction, postcolonial theory, feminism, structuralism, post-structionalism, modernism and new times. This study was undertaken at the University of Queensland in Australia (1996 - 1999).

In more recent years Dr Wah has been Founding Coordinator of the World Health Organisation’s Pacific Open Learning HealthNet (POLHN) UNICEF’s Education Officer, Senior Educational Assessment Specialist in the Secretariat for the Pacific Board of Educational Assessment’s (SPBEA) Currently he is full time executive chair of the Fiji Higher Education Commission (July 2013, prior to this he was part time chair of the Commission since 2010).

He taught in universities in England, Australia and Fiji, at graduate and postgraduate levels and spent many years in training of the trainer programs for all aspects of education. He examined a PhD from an Australian University about teacher education practices from an islander perspective.

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KELERA TALOGA

IMPLEMENTING AND

SUSTAINING QUALITY

EDUCATION

The acting Permanent Secretary – Ministry of Education, Kelera Taloga is a passionate and dedicated educator.

The Ministry has been recognised as a global leader in financial education since 2013, when it implemented the integration of learning about personal money management into the core curriculum from years one to 12. Mrs Taloga has been at the forefront of the Fiji Financial Education initiative as a contributor and head of project.

Prior to her current position, Mrs Taloga was the deputy secretary Professional, a position she assumed in 2012. Mrs Taloga was actively involved in the areas of curriculum development and examinations and formal assessment at the Fiji Ministry of Education.

Mrs Taloga began her career teaching at secondary school level and has held a number of positions within the Fiji school system, including the prominent Lautoka Teachers College, as well as the Ministry of Education.

Mrs Taloga holds a series of qualifications in education, food science & technology, science and mathematics, including a Master’s of Education from the University of the South Pacific.

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Dr Mahendra

Reddy

Minister for

Education

We need your input.

If you don’t perform, I can’t

perform.

Tell us your problems

….we want to help you be the best you can be.

THEME: IMPACTING NATION BUILDERS

Presidential address [Mr Ledua Colati]:

It seems everyone has rights except school leaders. We need quality leaders to produce quality teachers.

Appeal to MOE—remove retirement age to ensure experienced teachers are retained.

Need to promote holistic education which includes extra curricula activities.

Free education needs to be embraced by all parents.

Problem of absenteeism and truancy.

Rights of parents vs rights of teachers.

Chief Guest: Archbishop Peter Loy Chung

The importance and acceptance of a spiritual framework

The need for spiritual input and holistic education

Jesus is our model as the servant leader.

Impact of Technology on Nation Builders—Semi Tukana

We need dreamers and builders

We need classrooms conducive to learning

We need to embrace rebels and radical ideas.

We need to be relevant.

We need to understand and communicate quality English.

We need to understand, learn technology.

Proposed a national centralized student management system.

HIGHLIGHTS OF OCT 2014 CONFERENCE

F I J I P R I N C I P A L S A S S O C I A T I O N

October 2014

THE FIJI PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATION

Provides a Forum for support, encouragement and professional development of Secondary Principals; and leadership in all aspects of secondary education in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Rev. Colati Ledua

FPA President

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When it comes to

disability,

it is not what

you know

but what is in

your heart

that counts.

Dr Sitiveni Yanyanutawa,

FNCP

Dr Sitiveni Yanyanutawa, Executive Director, Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons.

Changing our mind set.

Fiji signed UN Rights of People with a Disability in 2010.

Government emphasis on inclusive education.

All schools will need to create access for persons with disability.

Familiarise yourself with all aspects of policy.

Mr Michael Shaver, Global

Outreach Officer, Institute of International Education, Abu Dhabi.

We are all part of a global experience.

New York University campuses in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi looking for future leaders in the world.

Aim to teach students to address problems of tomorrow.

Form 7 pass, students need to present in academic, personal and community areas.

Dr Uhila Moe-langi Fasi ; Senior Assessment Specialist - Research SPBEA

Need to think of more broadly for holistic assessment.

Considers socio-economic, psychological and behavioural inhibitors to learning.

Internal assessment is for quality learning and encourage long term results .

High stake examinations do not assist student learning—encourage drop outs.

Importance of professionalism of teachers to ensure quality outcomes.

Your heart as a leader—good brain is important but good heart is vital!

Dr Giulio Paunga. Vice President Regional Campuses, Properties and Facilities, University of South Pacific.

Remember that policies and nation is about you and me, our situation, our people.

After 2008 review basic education replaced with quality education.

Tripartite approach—admin and authority; Principals & teachers as implementers; students as recipients.

Policy makers must understand really well their target audience.

Policy makers need to understand the struggles of teachers and students.

You, the Principal, are selected for your qualities—you make a difference.

There needs to be more investment in the development of teachers.

Policies not only for school but for home, are vital for nation builders.

Are policies borrowed from overseas relevant to our situation?

Critical need for assessment of policies to ensure relevant and suitable for our context

Importance of consultation in policy making; difficult to implement if you are not part of the development of policies.

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DAY 2—BUSINESS SESSION

Request for awards presentation

Request for more networking and mentoring time.

Future leaders workshops with experi-enced principals as facilitators

Food allocation insufficient—request FPA support to Ministry.

Girls only Netball. Separate competi-tions.

Concern sponsors benefit more from athletics and rugby, than schools.

Principals need support to approach MOE re policy formation.

Need for FPA to be registered and

Building a culture of learning is critical—the principal sets the tone and pace of the school. Mr Jai Narayan DSE

Mr Jai Narayan—Director Secondary Education

Warmly welcomed all principals, particularly new ones

Principals are responsible for the future—vital role to play.

All schools should own Smartphones. Need to increase digital knowledge and application.

Zoning and enrolment policy.

Acquittal of grants issues to be addressed; careful recording essential.

Continuous in-service training important

The glue is attitude, philosophy and theory-to-action culture.

Principals are the super-teachers in the driving seat for the teachers.

Annual reports critical, minutes and audited financials by 30 March.

Confirmation of school roll.

Virement of grant funds needs school manager letter to PEO.

Strictly no fund raising.

Transparency and accountability in all areas.

Circulation of Education Gazette to all staff and discussed at staff meeting.

Parents day is a formal school day.

Regular staff briefings and circulars to ensure good communication.

Tertiary Loan Scheme available if pass Form 7. Scholarship for top students.

Extra classes must be monitored. Consider impact on family life.

Transport vouchers closely monitored.

Excursions need to be planned carefully to reduce cost to parents.

Early school close, seek approval from District Office.

Enrolments for 2015 need to start in November.

FEMIS training. All required to take.

Hostel remission fees—please apply.

Strategic plan and annual plan revisions

Water crisis, funds available for tanks.

Staffing returns in good time.

World Teachers Day—certificates to all teachers.

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Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy

The 2014 FPA Conference was blessed to receive a visit from the newly appointed Minister for Education who encouraged all principals with his warm greetings and inspiring speech.

Key issues raised by Dr Reddy

Importance of FPA and the role it plays

Principals servant leadership vitally important

Ministry has a dream to deliver quality education.

Fiji is on track to become the leader in Education in the South Pacific.

Government is committed to making education accessible to all.

Education is a right, not a privilege.

Free education, free textbooks, free transport.

Tertiary education available to all who qualify— no quota

Vocational courses—Year 10 will have opportunity to split between TVET and academic.

There is a need to change the culture in a few non-performing schools

We need students who are critical thinkers , pushing the frontier.

We need a culture of excellence.

Email the ministry if you have a need; if no response after five days email the Minister.

Take photos of your needs and we will supply.

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FPA would like to thank sponsors who have supported the running of this Conference in both cash and kind.

Books R Us

C.K. Patel/ Easybuy

Coca Cola Amatil Fiji Ltd

Daltron

Etreme

Fiji Water

FTA

Gem—IT Solutions

Grem Chemicals

Jedis Stationery

Kaks Marketing

Quality Sports

Riccoh

South Pacific Business Systems

Star Printery

Textbook Wholesalers Ltd

USP

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FIJI PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATION would like to thank our major sponsors