Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka [left] and Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro

Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro has defended his decision not to accept Selina Kuruleca as his Permanent Secretary.

Radrodro is not backing down after Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made it clear that he needs to work with who he has.

Radrodro denied his rejection of Kuruleca, but according to Rabuka’s recollection, Radrodro is lying.

Rabuka told the media on Wednesday that Radrodro blatantly stated that he didn’t want to work with Kuruleca.

Regardless of Radrodro’s position on the appointment, Kuruleca is the one with a valid PS contract.

“I’m not rejecting her, also I’m just requesting a consultation. All I’m asking for is consultation as according to what is there in the constitution and what is there in the agreement.”

Meanwhile, according to Section 126(1) of the 2013 Constitution, the Public Service Commission appoints Permanent Secretaries with the agreement of the Prime Minister, not the line Minister.

Rabuka also clarified that the coalition agreement does not include PS appointments.

“For Minister, not PS…..”

Rabuka says this is Radrodro’s problem and that the PSC’s constitutionally protected decision is final.

“Yes through the Prime Minister and the PSC. The PSC is allowed to do its own work and that is his problem. He’ll need to work with whatever he got there.”

Meanwhile, Radrodro maintains that he needs someone that has the caliber needed to manage the Education sector.

“However, I am in agreement with the teachers union in Fiji, both the Fijian Teachers Association and the Fijian Teachers Union that the Ministry of Education needs someone that has led at leadership level at the Ministry of Education.”

Radrodro says his concern stems from concerns of high turnover within the Ministry due to a failed working relationships between the two executive positions and stakeholders within the education sector.

“The last thing that I want to see as the Minister for Education is the two unions being at loggerheads again with the ministry and the Education Ministry has experienced a high turnover of these two executive positions in the last nine years which is from 2014 and 2022, within this period, which is eight years to be exact. There’ve been five education Ministers and five permanent secretaries.”

With Radrodro refusing to accept the PSC’s decision, the Ministry of Education is the only Ministry without a contracted PS.

Kuruleca was to officially take her PS position on July 3rd.