MINISTRY OF INFORMATION FIJI NEWS SUMMARY 5:00PM 26/07/13

 

1.     DOCTORS CLEARED OF NEGLIGENCE – Two Lautoka hospital doctors who were suspended following patient negligence have been reinstated.

 

2.     WOMEN AND YOUTHS IN SAWAKASA TAB ON SEAWEED PROCESSING – The women and youth of Sawakasa village in Tailevu are determined to use their newly learnt skills on seaweed processing and packaging to venture into commercial seaweed production.

 

3.     HIGH ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL IMPRESSES EDUCATION MINISTER – Teachers and students of Adi Maopa Secondary School were happy to receive this week a ministerial team led by the Minister for Education National Heritage Culture and Arts, Filipe Bole.

 

4.     NEC PREPARES REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED’S FOR EMPLOYMENT – The National Employment Centre (NEC) at the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations continues to focus its efforts in assisting the unemployed.

 

5.     MINISTER PRAISES ECE TEACHERS ON VANUABALAVU – The Minister for Education National Heritage Culture and Arts, Filipe Bole praised Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers on Vanuabalavu for delivering quality teaching to pre-school children.

 

6.     PRIME MINISTER TO OPEN WOMEN CENTRE IN NAMOSI – In the quest to generate sustainable economic opportunities and promote independent livelihood, the Fijian government has invested into a new infrastructure in Mau village in the province of Namosi.

 

 

DOCTORS CLEARED OF NEGLIGENCE

 

Two Lautoka hospital doctors who were suspended following patient negligence have been reinstated.

They were suspended in June after the death of female patient, but have been reinstated after an investigation by the National Disciplinary Committee with the concurrence of the Minister for Health and the Permanent Secretary for Health cleared them of any wrongdoing.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr Eloni Tora, has assured the public that all such charges of negligence are investigated thoroughly.

 

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WOMEN AND YOUTHS IN SAWAKASA TAB ON SEAWEED PROCESSING

 

The women and youth of Sawakasa village in Tailevu are determined to use their newly learnt skills on seaweed processing and packaging to venture into commercial seaweed production.

 

This follows the training of 40 women and youth in Sawakasa last week who were trained on producing food products and skin care items using seaweed.

 

With the ultimate objective of expanding the seaweed industry in Fiji, specifically targeting women and youth, the training project is currently being facilitated through the collaboration of the Department of Women, Department of Fisheries, Department of Youth and the Ministry for Rural and Maritime Development.

 

Sawakasa youth coordinator Mr Sitiveni Naqica said that the seaweed training has opened a new pathway for the unemployed youth.

“We are grateful to the government for providing us with this opportunity to learn the skills of seaweed processing. The training has been an eye opener for the villages living around coastal lines to fully use the resources like seaweed as a means of income generating. It is a means of alleviating poverty in the rural communities that depend on natural resources,” Mr Naqica said.

 

Similarly, Sawakasa Soqosoqo Vakamarama president Mrs Joana Loco, said women will now be able to produce their own cosmetic and skin care products, which will also provide a source of income for them.

 

“The women are happy that now they can use seaweed to make body lotion, soap, bathing gels and cosmetics which is very healthy for the skin. We don’t have to buy these items any more as we can make these at our homes. The women now have the talents to make all these products for both subsistence and commercial use,” she said.

 

The Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni acknowledged the Republic of Indonesia for providing the Indonesian experts to enhance the skills in seaweed and also coconut, bamboo craft.

 

“The Ministry is grateful to the Indonesian government for its strengthened partnership and support to economically empower the women and youth in Fiji. The seaweed experts not only train the people to produce seaweed byproducts but also acquire skills of designing, labeling and packaging for marketing,” Dr Luveni said.

 

The second training is currently underway at Nagigi, Savusavu and the next training will be held at Mau village in Namosi province.

 

Meanwhile, the Indonesian expert in Coconut and Bamboo Craft Mr Sulghan Ali is currently facilitating the coconut craft training at the Waiyevo Women’s Resource Centre in Taveuni. Mr Ali will complete his 6 weeks coconut, bamboo craft training in Fiji with a woodcarving workshop to be held at the Fiji Women’s Federation Office in Suva next week.

 

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HIGH ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL IMPRESSES EDUCATION MINISTER

 

Teachers and students of Adi Maopa Secondary School were happy to receive this week a ministerial team led by the Minister for Education National Heritage Culture and Arts, Filipe Bole.

 

In his opening address to students and staff at the school, Minister Bole remarked –  “I congratulate the students, teachers and parents of Adi Maopa for an achievement of 82.4 percent in FSLC last year and being one of the high performing schools in Fiji.”

 

“I acknowledge teachers serving out in the remote island schools and doing the best of their ability to improve student performance,” added Ambassador Bole.

 

“The transport assistance initiative from the Ministry of Education has helped improve attendance and performance in school,” said the school’s principal Mrs Sau Mateitoga.

 

“Each student should continue to work hard to achieve desired career goals and pathways” said Minister Bole.

 

Teachers were also encouraged to upgrade their qualifications to through courses available through distance and flexible learning at tertiary institutions in the country.

 

The ministerial visit team continues to inspect other schools on Vanuabalavu to share their achievements and challenges in improving quality education for change, peace and progress for our children.

 

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NEC PREPARES REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED’S FOR EMPLOYMENT

 

The National Employment Centre (NEC) at the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations continues to focus its efforts in assisting the unemployed.

 

The NEC has begun Phase I of employment creation training for the unemployed who have registered with  the NEC from 2010 to July 2013,  and have not undergone any training.

 

The sessions are being undertaken in all the divisions of the country. Registered clients in the Western Division will complete their one week assessments today while the Northern division assessments will commence on Monday 29th and end on 2nd August, and in the Central Eastern division this will take place from 5th to 16th August, 2013.

 

The Minister for Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Mr Jone Usamate highlighted that due to budget constrains last year, the Centre was not able to conduct any trainings. This means that the centre is rolling all the 4 training phases of the employment creation process consecutively for all clients registered from 2010 till July 2013.

 

He encouraged clients registered with the centre to contact the various NEC offices about this important development. He urged NEC clients to contact the Ministry so that they do not miss out on the sessions.

 

Clients will firstly undergo the Counselling sessions and Aptitude Assessment before undertaking the 1 week Life Skills Training and 8 weeks Employment Skills training.

 

Since its inception, the NEC has been able to provide professional counselling services to 16,333 clients and also provided Aptitude Assessment of 16,144 clients. More than 1,800 clients have been absorbed into permanent employment while 2,440 have undergone work attachments, with 386 clients engaged in volunteer service through the Fiji Volunteer Service

 

Mr Usamate expressed his gratitude to the NEC training providers who have partnered with the Centre to provide quality training to the NEC clients.   The NEC has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with the National Training & Productivity Centre for the provision of aptitude assessment, and has also renewed its partnership agreement with the Kuruleca Consultants for counselling services.

 

Minister Usamate stated that his Ministry was in the process of exploring further ways in which the unemployed could be assisted, and that significant progress was also being achieved through the activities of other Government agencies such as the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Women.

 

(Editors, the public notice for this is attached)

 

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MINISTER PRAISES ECE TEACHERS ON VANUABALAVU

 

The Minister for Education National Heritage Culture and Arts, Filipe Bole praised Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers on Vanuabalavu for delivering quality teaching to pre-school children.

 

“What the child learns during the early childhood stage will stay throughout their lifetime,” said Minister Bole.

 

“I am happy to see the resource materials used and displayed by ECE teachers at Mualevu District, Daliconi primary and Adi Maopa Primary,” he said.

The education minister reminded the management of all ECE schools that “teachers employed by management committees must be qualified including having completed a formal qualification the minimum basic of which is certificate in ECE and be registered under the Fiji Teachers Registration Board.”

 

The Ministry of Education will advice and support schools, communities, organizations and individuals in the establishment and recognition of any ECE programme.

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PRIME MINISTER TO OPEN WOMEN CENTRE IN NAMOSI

 

In the quest to generate sustainable economic opportunities and promote independent livelihood, the Fijian government has invested into a new infrastructure in Mau village in the province of Namosi.

 

With an investment of $30, 000 from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, the newly built Mau Women’s Resource Centre will be officially opened next week on Monday by the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

 

The Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni reiterated that the new Centre will boost the economic opportunities for the people in Mau and will operate with “One Centre One Product concept”.

 

“The Ministry is delighted to witness the opening of a new facility which will provide income generating and enhance the economic potential for Mau village. The Centre will specialize in the manufacturing of seaweed products and provide a robust platform for the women and youths to venture into commercial seaweed business.

 

“The opening of the Centre is just in time as the women and youths in Mau villagers are geared for a 2 weeks training in seaweed cultivation, processing and marketing strategies. Not only will they be equipped with the skills on making seaweed byproducts, now we have a Centre which is dedicated on diversifying seaweed industry in Fiji” Minister Luveni said.

 

“The training will be facilitated by the 4 seaweed experts from Indonesia and it is a joint collaboration with Republic of Indonesia and Department of Women, Department of Youth, Department of Fisheries and ministries of Maritime and Rural Development and i-Taukei Affairs.

 

Minister Luveni said the 2 weeks training will coincide with the opening of the Mau Women’s Resource Centre and there will be practical hands-on training of making seaweed food products like juice, jam, sauce, noodles and also seaweed skin care products like cosmetics, bathing gel and soap.

 

“The women and youth are eager to learn the skills and apply this along with their business training to begin the process of earning income on a regular basis. With the enhanced marketing skills, the people would produce quality products with consistency in quantity to venture into seaweed industry and capitalize on a new pathway to improve their livelihood,” Dr Luveni added.

 

Earlier this month, the women and youth in Mau village have undergone an intensive financial literacy training that has enabled them to develop a business plan and identify the marketing strategies for the Mau Women’s Resource Centre.

 

Mau Women’s Group president Mrs Amalaini Bulouseru said the Centre has generated confidence and hope for the women to become financially independent.

 

“In the last 100 years, this is the first time for Mau villagers to see such a huge development and we are grateful to the government for initiating this new Women’s Resource Centre. It is a dream come true and it has motivated us to work hard to improve our lives.

 

“Through the financial training we have developed strategies to diversify projects like the water fall in Mau that will become a good tourist attraction and thus we can get customers to come to the women’s centre. We intend on developing ecotourism and also utilize e-marketing, special packaging and using internet to market our seaweed products,” Mrs Bulouseru said.

 

Namosi Province youth coordinator Mr Alexander Tuiverata said the Centre will take Mau into a new dimension of economic development.

 

“It motivates the youths to take action to change their lives by using the resources and skills available around them. There are untapped opportunities in the agricultural and marine sectors that can provide potential job opportunities for unemployed youths in Fiji,” he added.

 

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