- FIJI A MODEL FOR MANY PICs – Fiji’s effort in rehabilitating and reforming prisoners has been a success story that many Pacific Island countries want to tap into.
- TISI SANGAM TO PROVIDE LOANS SCHEME AS AN INTERIM SOLUTION – The Hon. Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, Dr Mahendra Reddy last week met with the TISI Sangam Executives to discuss opportunities in assisting students studying at the Sangam Nursing School.
- YOUTHS ARE TO BE INSPIRED TO FOLLOW DREAMS, PASSIONS: DELANA – Government has put in place initiatives to ensure that more support is provided for youths in Fiji.
- FIJI TEAM READY TO PARTICIPATE AT WORLD GAMES – The 9-member Fiji team at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles are ready to make their island nation proud tomorrow (Monday 27 August – LA Time).
- PLANT HEALTH CLINIC TRAINING IN CENTRAL DIVISION – The Ministry of Agriculture in an effort to build capacity of agriculture extension staff and at the same time enhance food and income security for farmers of the Central Division, will be conducting training on pests and weedicide management this week.
- FIJI A MODEL FOR MANY PICs
Fiji’s effort in rehabilitating and reforming prisoners has been a success story that many Pacific Island countries want to tap into.
Fiji Corrections Service commissioner, Lieutenant Colonel Ifereimi Vasu said many countries in the region had shown interest in learning from Fiji’s best practices.
He said Fiji has managed to reduce the rate of recidivism that has been the result of rehabilitation and enterprise through income generating programmes.
Lt Col Vasu said regional meetings such as the 5th Pacific Islands Regional Conference for Women in Corrections (PIRCWC) that was being held in Fiji allowed countries to learn from each other.
“One of the big contributing factors for these regional meetings is for countries to see how Fiji is going into rehabilitation and enterprise. Countries like Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands have shown interest in the programmes we run,” he said in the sidelines of the weeklong PIRCWC meeting being held in Suva.
Minister for Justice, Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum opened the regional meeting that was attended by countries such as PNG, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Vanuatu and Tonga.
The meeting will look at ways to address the challenges women correction officers face and how best to manage female offenders.
Lt Col Vasu said there were many best practices that the correction service institutions can learn from Fiji as many have just recently broken away from being part of the police department.
PIRCWC chairperson and Solomon Islands Correction Service inspector Leah Alufo’oa said the meeting brings female officers under one roof to look at challenges of working in a male dominated institution where they face issues like unfair promotions and lack of opportunities.
She praised Fiji’s efforts in rehabilitating and reforming prisoners while highlighting that Solomon Islands was now putting many of these practices in place within their own correctional facilitates.
“We visited the correctional facilities in Fiji in 2013 and have been keen on driving similar small business ventures so we are working on that,” Inspector Alufo’oa said.
Fiji has been running income generating programme for prisoners that includes agriculture, poultry and other skills.
The participants from the meeting will be touring correction facilities from Thursday.
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- TISI SANGAM TO PROVIDE LOANS SCHEME AS AN INTERIM SOLUTION
The Hon. Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, Dr Mahendra Reddy last week met with the TISI Sangam Executives to discuss opportunities in assisting students studying at the Sangam Nursing School.
The TISI Sangam had requested for TELS to also provide loans for students scoring below 250.The Minister responded saying that as per the TELS regulations, students admitted to Higher Education Studies must have at least 250 marks in their Year 13 final exam to qualify for TELS.
However, the Minister proposed that the Sangam School of Nursing should consider providing loans to the current lot of students admitted with them below 250 marks and assist them complete their programs.
The TISI Sangam have said that it will take on board this suggestion and will now ask these students to contact their office for the required paper work.
The Ministry wishes to thank the Sangam School of Nursing for agreeing to assist these students as they are from families who do not have the ability to pay their fees.
The Minister is requesting all students below 250 marks who are admitted at the Nursing School to now contact the school immediately.
The Minister has also stated that the Ministry of Education together with TELS will continue to provide assistance to all aspiring students who have the required mark and is urging all students to study hard so that they can be admitted for tertiary studies.
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- YOUTHS ARE TO BE INSPIRED TO FOLLOW DREAMS, PASSIONS: DELANA
Government has put in place initiatives to ensure that more support is provided for youths in Fiji.
This was highlighted this week by the Assistant Minister for Youth & Sports, Hon Iliesa Delana while attending the Special Olympics Social Impact Summit in Los Angeles
“The sessions were for selected mentors from around the globe to inform youth leaders present and provide a platform to share impact ideas,” said the assistant minister.
“It was also to urge youth leaders that as youth workers, we are to provide a platform that realises the passion and abilities of youths with special needs that can inspire them to aspire to new heights,” said Hon. Delana.
“The Ministry of Youth in Fiji has done a lot in regards to empowering Fijians but the onus is on community leaders and family support to ensure that they provide support to youths and people with disability in pursuing their dreams, passion and abilities.”
Official spokesperson for the Special Olympics – US Fund for UNICEF Partnership Lucy Meyer also spoke at the summit and received a standing ovation.
Ms Meyer was born with cerebral palsy but she participated in the 2014 USA Special Olympics in swimming and won two gold medals.
“In the past there were so many differences amongst people with disabilities, but through the Special Olympic movement, we now can say that those difference is now a thing of the past ,” Lucy told participants.
The Special Olympics Social Impact Summit on Saturday in Los Angeles which was attended by close to 200 youth ‘change-makers’, sports and youth ministers from 165 participating countries and global mentors.
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- FIJI TEAM READY TO PARTICIPATE AT WORLD GAMES
The 9-member Fiji team at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles are ready to make their island nation proud tomorrow (Monday 27 August – LA Time).
Fiji will be participating in athletics at the USC Loker Stadium, Cromwell Field.
The Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Hon. Iliesa Delana who is in Los Angeles said, “All Fijians should be proud of our athletes and we should all be cheering them on and praying for them.”
“They are indeed ambassadors of the country and will showcase to the world that we in Fiji are united despite our physical differences,” Hon. Delana said.
“It was a proud moment for me to be watching Team Fiji march into the Los Angeles Coliseum last night for the opening and the reception that they received as soon as Fiji was mentioned was overwhelming,” the Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports said.
America’s First Lady Michelle Obama opened the World Games and said; “My husband and I, we are so proud of you, so incredibly proud of you, and we love you all from the bottom of our hearts.”
Mrs Obama spoke on ‘unity’ and said that “millions around the world will be inspired and be motivated by watching special athletes perform with courage, determination and joy throughout this week.”
Team Fiji was among the 6,500 athletes from 165 countries that flooded the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday evening.
These special athletes will participate in 25 sports over nine days, ranging from weightlifting to triathlon.
Fiji is also joined by Pacific neighbours Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.
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- PLANT HEALTH CLINIC TRAINING IN CENTRAL DIVISION
The Ministry of Agriculture in an effort to build capacity of agriculture extension staff and at the same time enhance food and income security for farmers of the Central Division, will be conducting training on pests and weedicide management this week.
Staff of the Extension Division and farmers will attend the Plant Health Clinic from 29th to 31st July at Cakobau House in Nausori.
Acting Principal Research Officer (Plant Protection), Apenisa Sailo said the training is to enlighten extension crop officers and crop farmers on the different weeds, diseases and insect pests of crops and its management practices.
“Two days training will be with the Extension staff while the third day is for Naitasiri, Tailevu and Rewa farmers,” he said.
He added that Extension trainees and crops farmers are expected to be familiar with disease and insect damage symptoms, insect structures, common weeds and how to manage pests in different field situations.
The Ministry will carry out similar training in the Eastern islands of Ovalau and Kadavu and in the Western and Northern divisions.
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