The president of the Fijian Teachers Association (FTA), Netani Druavesi, has emphasized the importance of having spiritually enriched school counsellors to effectively support teachers facing psychological challenges. His comments came in response to a sermon delivered by Pastor Nasoni Lutunaliwa of the Seventh-day Adventist Church at the FTA’s 90th annual delegates conference held at the Suva Civic Centre.
Pastor Lutunaliwa shared a personal story about how his wife, a teacher, has been negatively impacted by a difficult school environment, expressing that she sometimes cries for her students. In light of this, Druavesi stated that the FTA requires counsellors who embrace a spiritual approach in their roles. He noted that while school counsellors were once present, the organization now believes that these professionals need to be spiritually grounded.
Druavesi stressed the urgency of turning to spiritual guidance during these challenging times, indicating that solutions cannot solely rely on money or academic performance. “We need to start from our various homes, that’s our first classroom,” he said, underscoring the need for a strong foundation in homes before approaching external solutions.
Furthermore, Druavesi addressed how the association handles recent teacher-student cases. He asserted that teachers remain union members until they are proven guilty, and emphasized the need for communication rather than immediate suspension or demotion as was previously done. He mentioned that the association is actively engaging in dialogue with the Education Ministry and other pertinent stakeholders to navigate these complexities.