Caption: Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Dr Mahendra Reddy. Photo: FIJI LIVE.
The Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Dr Mahendra Reddy is calling on teachers and students to be wary of this drought season. The Minister is issuing this advice to all schools to take heed and take a proactive approach to the current drought situation.
“School heads should not permit students’ participation in sporting activities in the scorching sun. Students should also be advised to carry water bottles to schools and to continue drinking water to avoid dehydration,” Dr Reddy said.
“It is the joint responsibility of the teacher and the parents to give sound advice to children and have them informed of issues that can affect their learning. In school, learning is a priority and teachers should organise indoor activities that will ascertain the safety and wellbeing of students.
“It is rewarding to note that the attendance reports we’ve received from districts are positive and reveals minimal difference. There are island schools that have real problems but we are assisting them with the provision of water tanks and the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development has been aiding in the transportation of water to these needy schools.
“There has been some rain over the weekend and I hope that the schools have fetched water to sustain them for some time until assistance arrives to their schools. I am pleading with everyone to work in collaboration and assist one another in this critical time of the academic calendar. We need to ensure that students preparing for external and internal assessments are not severely affected in this drought,” Dr Reddy said.
The district education offices nationwide continue to monitor the situation and provide constant updates to the Ministry of Education with situational reports.
MINFO