Apenisa Waqairadovu 
Village elders from Namosi are calling on the Ministry of Education to closely monitor how long teachers remain in rural schools, saying some are staying too long without rotation.
The concerns were raised earlier this week during public consultations on the Education Bill in Navua, where community representatives questioned how many years a teacher should serve at one school.
They claimed that in some cases, teachers have become too comfortable in their postings, while transfers and rotations are taking too long.
A Ministry representative clarified that under current policy, teachers are required to serve a minimum of three years at a school, with a maximum of six years upon request. Extensions can be requested by the teacher or the school management, while management can also ask the Ministry for a transfer.
However, the official highlighted that transfers are sometimes delayed due to budget constraints.
One village elder urged the Ministry to take a more proactive role, saying it is embarrassing for communities to repeatedly request teacher transfers.
He stressed that the Ministry should independently monitor teachers’ years of service and ensure timely rotations to allow new educators to bring fresh energy into rural schools.
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