[File Photo]

The proposed Education Bill could create serious regulatory gaps in teacher registration if key provisions from the existing Fiji Teachers Registration Authority Act are not carried over.

Making a submission during a public consultation, FTRA Chief Executive Sangita Singh warned that the new bill, which is expected to eventually replace the current FTRA Act, does not fully reflect the legal and operational framework that governs teacher registration in practice.

Singh says the authority has been operating as a state body since its divestment from the Ministry of Education in 2013, yet its governing law was never comprehensively reviewed to reflect that transition.

“As a result, there are key definitions, processes and powers that are missing or unclear”

She says, adding that several essential provisions currently contained in the FTRA Act do not appear in the Education Bill.

She cautioned that repealing the existing Act without embedding those provisions into the new legislation could weaken the regulation of the teaching profession and create uncertainty for schools, teachers and regulators.

Among the gaps highlighted were the absence of clear definitions for registration categories such as limited authority, provisional registration and full registration, as well as the lack of legal recognition for practices that have long been in place.

“These are not new practices. They are already being carried out, but they are not clearly defined in the Act or reflected in this bill.”

Singh also pointed out that the role of the FTRA chief executive officer — a position that has existed since the authority’s early years — was never formally defined in law, despite the CEO being responsible for managing day-to-day registration processes.

Committee members acknowledged the concerns and requested a summary identifying which provisions from the existing Act and approved amendments were missing from the draft bill, and where they could be inserted.

Singh said she would submit a detailed mapping of the gaps to assist lawmakers and drafters, stressing the importance of ensuring that teacher registration standards are not compromised during the transition to a new legal framework.

The public consultation on the Education Bill is ongoing.

Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.