Ritika Pratap 
Education Minister Aseri Radrodro at the 47th Fiji Early Childhood Teachers Association conference in Rakiraki [Source: Ministry of Education Fiji/Facebook]
Education Minister Aseri Radrodro has reminded early childhood teachers that they must always maintain professionalism and accountability.
Speaking at the 47th Fiji Early Childhood Teachers Association conference in Rakiraki, Radrodro stated that early childhood teachers lay the foundation for Fiji’s future generations.
Radrodro highlighted the association’s pivotal role in shaping early childhood education through Na Noda Mataniciva, Fiji’s national ECE curriculum guideline.
The curriculum, first developed 17 years ago, is now being updated with UNICEF support to include early literacy and numeracy.
The government has increased its commitment to early childhood education with a $32 million budget allocation for this financial year – a $10 million increase from the previous year.
Radrodro says this ensures that 1,423 teachers across 873 centres are now full-time staff, supporting over 18,000 children in pre-primary education.
The rollout of full-day pre-primary programs began on August 1st in all Ministry-registered centres, providing more structured learning opportunities while supporting parents and communities.
The conference also hosted the national launch of the SEL Training Package, which was developed with support from the Government of Japan and regional partners.
The initiative equips teachers with practical skills to foster children’s resilience, empathy, and confidence during their formative years.
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