MINISTRY OF INFORMATION FIJI NEWS SUMMARY 4:00PM 03/05/13

1.     PACIFIC ENERGY HEADS MEET IN NADI TO DISCUSS PROJECTS – Pacific energy and climate change officials will converge in Nadi later this month to finalize the institutional development of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Sustainable Energy Initiative.

 

2.     STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE TVET COURSES – The Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) arm of the Ministry of Education is positive of a 90 percent student intake by 2014.

 

3.     FIJI TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO PNG THROUGH NEW AGREEMENT – A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed this week between Fiji and Papua New Guinea through both countries’ Labour Ministries that will see Fiji provide assistance to its Melanesian neighbour.

 

4.     COMPETITION CREATES AWARENESS AND SHOWS THE NEED TO FURTHER ADDRESS CHILD PROTECTION – Competition creates awareness but there is a need to further address the issue of protecting our children.

 

PACIFIC ENERGY HEADS MEET IN NADI TO DISCUSS PROJECTS

 

Pacific energy and climate change officials will converge in Nadi later this month to finalize the institutional development of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Sustainable Energy Initiative.

 

A mechanism called the SIDS Dock has been implemented to catalyse the transformation of the energy sector of small islands.

 

“SIDS DOCK is also designed keeping in mind on platforms to increase energy security, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and generate resources for investment in adaptation to climate change,” said Fiji’s representative and Director Energy Peceli Nakavulevu said.

 

“In 2012, the Pacific spent in excess of USD 1.3 billion importing fuels, and has the highest petroleum fuel dependency of any sub – region in the world so this meeting will assist us in identifying project which could replace our reliance of fuel.”

 

The SIDS DOCK is funded by a USD$14.5 million grant from the Government of Denmark to help small islands transition to low carbon economies through development and deployment of renewable energy resources and promotion of greater energy efficiency and conservation while the Government of Japan joined the SIDS DOCK partnership with a pledge of USD 15 million in 2011, during climate talks in Durban, South Africa.

 

The SIDS DOCK Pacific Regional Meeting is the second in a series of three SIDS DOCK Regional Meetings targeted towards finalisation and agreement on the design of the SIDS DOCK Support Programme Platform, its institutional development and operations, and most importantly, the development, financing and implementation of the SIDS DOCK Pacific Project Pipeline of 14 indicative projects with an estimated investment opportunity of USD 40 million. A substantive part of the meeting agenda will focus on the project pipeline.

 

Minister for Works Transport and Public Utilities Timoci Lesi Natuva, is scheduled to officially open the meeting which will also be attended by Mr Vince Henderson, Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the United Nations, and Chair of the SIDS DOCK Steering Committee.

 

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STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE TVET COURSES

 

The Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) arm of the Ministry of Education is positive of a 90 percent student intake by 2014.

 

This was a key point raised by the Ministry of Education’s TVET Official Alumeci Tuisawau when responding to members of the public on a recent radio talkback show.

 

“That is why we are introducing a new program called Basic Empowerment Skills Training (BESK) which started last year with form 5 in 62 schools. This year another 62 schools have also adopted the BESK program so the total number of schools adopting this new program is 124,” Tuisawau said.

 

“Classroom based assessment and Common Assessment task for Primary School assessment for class 1 to 7 is Classroom Based Assessment. Only Class 8 are given Common Assessment Task of which they can take home, “she said.

 

Tuisawau said the biggest challenge they are facing the rise in number of students who find difficulty in reading and those who are non-readers.

 

“We are reviewing the National Curriculum Framework by going back to the Education Commissions Report. Non-readers from class 1 to class 2 so that when a student goes up to class 3 he can read and knows arithmetic,” she said.

 

She said class 1 students today have a maximum of 9 subjects all together.

 

“We will review this as it seems these young students have too much on their plate for such a young age,” Tuisawau said.

 

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FIJI TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO PNG THROUGH NEW AGREEMENT

 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed this week between Fiji and Papua New Guinea through both countries’ Labour Ministries that will see Fiji provide assistance to its Melanesian neighbour.

 

Fiji’s Minister for Labour Jone Usamate said the signing extended Fiji’s assistance to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea on Occupational Safety and Health Reform.

 

His counterpart from Papua New Guinea Minister Mark Maikapai initiated this South-South cooperation between the 2 nations in 2011.

 

“It’s only fitting for him to grace this special occasion to ensure the completion of the OHS Reform in PNG during his tenure,” Minister Usamate said of the PNG Minister.

 

The Minister for Labour for the Independent State of Papua New Guinea Mark Maikapai said Fiji’s OSH law is more advance.

 

“Fiji has a very good OSH legislation, so we don’t have to go to Australia and New Zealand or any other overseas nation,” Minister Maikapai pointed out.

 

Minister Maikapai said they are aiming to finalise the PNG OSH Bill by August 2013.

 

This is the 3rd MOU signed between the 2 nations and is supported by the International Labour Organisation Office through its Suva-based office.

 

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COMPETITION CREATES AWARENESS AND SHOWS THE NEED TO FURTHER ADDRESS CHILD PROTECTION

Competition creates awareness but there is a need to further address the issue of protecting our children.

This was highlighted by Minister for Youth and Sports Mr Viliame Naupoto at the Child Protection Awards that was held at the Tanoa Plaza this week.

He added that the responsibility of protecting children extends beyond the homes they live in.

“Keeping children safe is the business of parents as well as men and women who are not parents. It is the business of human services agencies and law enforcement as well as businesses and churches and schools. It is the business of government officials as well as non- government officials. Child protection has to be a community- wide commitment,” Mr Naupoto added.

Winner of the Photograph Category Anny Sowzing of Sigatoka said that there should be more competitions as such to help create more awareness.

“More competitions like this should be held, that way more awareness can be created, even so for our voices to be heard, because we should really stop the abuse that is happening to children,” Ms Sowzing said.

The Child Protection Competition had three categories which were the Child Design a T-shirt, The Photograph Category and the Essay Category.

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