Independent MP Rinesh Sharma has urged the government to adopt stronger legal protections for teachers, saying Parliament must act on rising teacher burnout, delayed salary upgrades and incidents of student violence that are putting educators at risk. Speaking in Parliament, Sharma called for mandatory reporting, clearer legal safeguards for classroom staff and urgent reforms to support both students and teachers.
Sharma told lawmakers that classroom safety and working conditions were deteriorating, and highlighted that some teachers “have been waiting for their salary upgrade since 2023.” He argued that while countries such as Germany, Australia, the United States and Canada pay teachers comparatively well, higher pay alone would not solve chronic workload pressures that lead to exhaustion and burnout. “I hope the Minister is aware that teacher burnout and exhaustion are due to the workload that they have,” Sharma said, pressing for measures that reduce administrative burdens and strengthen workplace protections.
Alongside calls for pay and workload reform, Sharma pressed for curriculum changes to better equip young people for civic life. He urged that school programmes explicitly teach multiculturalism and the history of governance so that students understand how the three arms of the state operate — a step he said would encourage informed civic participation and produce future leaders. “So that our younger generations understand better how the three arms of the state work and this actually encourages a lot of the younger generations for our future in politics,” Sharma told Parliament.
Responding, Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro said the ministry has re-established formal consultation mechanisms with the teaching profession. “We have done so not out of political convenience but out of respect for the teaching profession and a commitment to building a stronger, more collaborative engagement system,” Radrodro said, stressing that a well-supported teaching environment is central to improving education outcomes in Fiji.
The minister’s remarks mark the latest development in growing public concern about child protection and the safety of educators. In recent months civil society and government officials have urged stronger community safeguards after high-profile abuse cases and calls for coordinated responses to protect children and vulnerable people. A separate court case involving a teacher facing serious sexual offence charges has added urgency to debates over safeguards in schools and how allegations are reported and managed.
Sharma’s appeal for concrete legal protections raises questions about the specifics of any new policies and the timetable for implementing outstanding salary upgrades referenced in his address. Radrodro’s announcement that consultation channels have resumed indicates the ministry intends to engage stakeholders, but details on whether that engagement will produce binding legal changes, mandatory reporting rules, or a plan to address long-pending pay upgrades have not yet been disclosed.
The exchange in Parliament is likely to intensify scrutiny on the ministry’s next steps as teachers’ representatives, unions and community groups await clearer commitments on workload reduction, protections from student violence and the promised consultations that could shape future education policy.
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