Some changes I would like to see in our Educational

A lot of the times when I have nothing to do, I dream of a better tomorrow. This is just an extension of our required discussion in our Linguistic postgrad classes...

First and foremost, I would like to see a revival in our Language teachers status in Fiji in particular and the Pacific. This year, we were inundated with negative reports in the media on our practice as language teachers. I would like to see that be changed soon after a new government will be implementing a number of things in the future. I wish to see reforms in our policy making with regards to syllabus and curriculum planning. I am exposed to not only a content-driven curriculum but a curriculum that is contextualised as well as conceptualised in its content. I see it as a more meaningful approach towards learning a language where students can make connections in their learning. I would like to also see active reflections as a practice either daily or weekly to take account on what the students have learned in that work.

Moreover, I wish to see teachers going into their classroom with a set objectives and designing tasks that challenge students cognitively and grow them as a learner as well as grow us in our professions as facilitators of the language, a guide on the side not a sage on the stage. I wish to see a curriculum that is inquiry-based of the learner and not a note-taking oriented overwhelmed exhausted curriculum. Our students are overwhelmed with these notes and this examination system are just churning out 'parrot' students, who are devoid of thinking for themselves, quite sad in what I see what we are doing to our own students. Are we doing this to cover their proficiency level to pass exams? I wish to see students who are accountable in their learning and teachers, who inspire them to reach a height in their academic pursuit or learning curve.

This implies a lot of things like language proficiency level amongst teachers; teachers' enrollment in teacher training institutes to be carefully vetted and particularly those, who are teaching Language be made to sit an admission test so that we can vet trainees, who will be released to to teach English in Fiji schools. However, in order to do this, I agree with what Pinnock and Nicholls (2012) explained that teachers (I say, All English teachers in the Fiji system or anywhere in the world) should have a good understanding of the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of children, language development, and the interdependence of mother tongue and second-language development, and the use of appropriate teaching practices. Another point to consider is having qualified lecturers, who have a sound research based in their field of expertise.

Secondly, I wish to see a revamp in our iTaukei classes in ECE or lower primary (a sentiment echoed by Willans (forthcoming publication). I agree that to have a strong base in the English and their L1 (their first language or mother tongue), they will need to be exposed to these basic languages. Also, there has been a lot of literature released on this (see Policy paper 24 on Global Monitoring report). I agree that the national policies should recognize the importance of teaching children in their home language. Because Fiji is a diverse community, English needs to be the medium of instruction and therefore needs to also be accorded principal status from lower level so that they are comfortable using it in spoken and written registers.

Thirdly, I wish to see a change in our Fiji Educational policy as a whole and in particular, invite a revamp in our Language Policy. I particularly would like to see the introduction of classes like Media Education/Gender or Ethnic Education as a unit where students can be taught how to spot fake news from real news, how to identify language of propaganda, how to spot stereotypes in gender and ethnicities by looking at global examples and dialoguing it out in the classroom etc. I feel if this has been done in the classroom, it is touched on in a superficial level and this can be seen how the present Fiji ethnic still grapples with this issue of discrimination. This has also been taught as a register in a mechanical fashion like all register studies in Varieties of English then examined and it is not an organic process where students can view news from around the world before zoning in to what is happening at 'home.'  In order to do all these, critical thinking must be taught at a conscious level where critical language is used in an objective fashion with evidence of course.

In addition to this, I wish to see a small class size like 30 students per class where a teacher can walk and talk the language without having the feeling of being pressured to perform (ideal situation) and inundated by marking 45 plus scripts as well as books, essay files per class. Also students need to be exposed to a variety of text types, genre types from Biographies, non-fictional works, essays, journals apart from the staple literature texts we see from the time I was in school. I believe students need to read texts based on non-fiction as a balance to what they see in literature such as gender stereotypes, racism and all current issues we are facing today not that I am 'rubbishing' classical enduring texts we have already in the system but the world is changing rapidly in tone and issues, I do not want our Fiji children to be illiterate or have the incapacity to address these issues too in an intelligent manner.

Another contentious issue, we need to do A LOT is differentiation in our classes. I believe with the overflowing numbers in our classrooms, this is not possible. While teaching in Mexico, I was faced with this problem a lot because I had students (some isolated cases), who came into class with zero to minimal English either in spoken and written due to the different schooling system they had and their medium of instruction was Spanish and it forced me as a Language teacher to look at ways and strategies to address this problem (something I was unprepared for) from alphabet books to other graded level books for the others, who are at least proficient in their L2. The school has 2 current programmes running in English in Language Acquisition and one with Language and Literature. I believe if our Fijian system can come up with something like this so that at least, we are not discriminating the slow ones, who could be guided in this as a stream in the school. So, for instance, in Fiji if we have 4 streams of Forms 3, I would like to propose a stream where students, who are not proficient in the English language to be in one stream on Language Acquisition while the rest are guided in Language and Literature. The one size fits all approach is clearly not working because we have non-readers/writers in the senior levels and they are released into our society.

What is happening?

I believe in time, Fiji teachers will be comfortable in using technology in the classrooms when this particular advancement will come, it will revolutionize the way we look at education in future. Here in Mexico, I have been grateful for the experience in integrating technological apps in my classes. Though there are a number of issues in its use in the class, I believe technology should be seen as an enhancing tool to further student's knowledge and an aid for teaching concepts, it should never replace explicit teaching in the classroom. I would like to see teachers knowledgeable on various apps that can be used as a tool for learning. Internet connection is an issue to be addressed as well as providing a framework or guideline of technology use in the classroom.

Finally, I would like schools in Fiji to have a provision for special case students facing ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, autism and a range of learning disability that fly under the radar in our quest for examination and passing those exams. It is hoped that in future, our educational system would look into these issues  if it is to be truly considered as inclusive. The questions that remain are: Are we equipped to address these things? Are we professionally trained to identify autistic cases? Do we have trained psychologists, who can diagnose and chart an intervention on the child? Are we aware that such issues exist in our classrooms?

This is my view and there are so many more that I would like to share but the above would suffice to start off the discussion. Of course, the views above hinge on our Language Policy and policy-making level in our very own ministry and above all, financing by donors to enable our system to be activated into a well-oiled machine or an organic organization that we envision it to be. I have always believed if we can introduce what is best in the IB system or another curriculum with our public system integrating our Fijian and Oceanian heritage, we can make a policy work! I want to see a child, who can work out his future even if he failed school because he has the aptitude to venture out onto entrepreneurship. Why? His educational system has prepared him for that type of mindset and critical creative thinking to be a contributing citizen in Fiji. As we move on this year, think about the type of changes you wish to see in this educational system and type your responses below.