The Head of School at Natutale Primary School in Navosa, Patemo Tubua, is calling on the Ministry of Education to set up a special school in the Navosa district because it is challenging for teachers to teach children with special needs.
While speaking at the public consultation on the review of the Education Act 1966 in Navosa, Tubua says they are facing challenges in enrolling students who come in with different abilities.
He says in the Nadroga/Navosa district, they only have a special school, which is in Sigatoka Town, and there are no special schools for them in the interior.
The Head of School urges the Ministry to set up a special school for children with different needs in their district so that no one is left behind.
Meanwhile, Semi Kuritani, a parent of a student studying at Natutale Primary, says that there is a need for the Heads of Schools in rural and remote areas to be given supervisory roles, such as, the Heads of Schools in urban areas.
He says students' education is being affected when Heads of Schools attend workshops, leaving no one to teach the students.
The concerned parent says sometimes the villagers gossip about the many workshops teachers attend because it affects the quality of education provided to their families.
Kuritani says they also face challenges in transportation costs because hiring one carrier will cost them about $120 one way.
The two gentlemen also agreed that more should be done to rural and remote schools because experiences in urban centres are not the same as what they are experiencing.
