Are you worried about your child’s education? Well you should be. Because a concerted effort is underway to lure your child’s teacher to leave Fiji for higher paid positions overseas.
A full page advertisement in today’s Fiji Times is only the most outward sign of a much broader campaign to sap Fiji of its best and brightest workers – an Islamic school in Melbourne clearly targeting teachers at Muslim schools in Fiji and anyone else prepared to support Islamic principles of education in Australia.
Take a look at the pay rates being offered – a salary range from $77,000 to 129,000 Australian dollars. ( $115,000 to $193,000 Fijian) plus 11 per cent superannuation, the national rate in Oz. And then ask yourself who in their right mind wouldn’t be tempted to apply.
All over Fiji, skilled workers and their families are deciding on a daily basis whether now is the time to abandon Fiji for greener pastures abroad. The lure would be attractive even if the minorities in Fiji felt valued and secure in national life. But as the Coalition pursues its racist policies and especially the workplace ethnic cleansing in the civil service and offices of state, many families are deciding there may never be a better time to go. And before the noose tightens even further.
Don’t take my word for it. Also in today’s Fiji Times is a separate story quoting a World Bank official as saying that economic growth in Fiji is weak because so many people are leaving. And yet the government has done nothing to counter the growing perception that anyone who isn’t iTaukei really doesn’t belong in Fiji.
Yes, the “vulagi” – plus a fair number of iTaukei – are leaving and in record numbers. So as you start the week, think abut the impact on the nation’s schools, hospitals and any number of businesses of this mass exodus. And the folly of a government that ought to be doing everything to encourage people to stay yet instead is giving them every reason to leave.
When the best teachers have gone plus the best doctors, nurses, builders, plumbers, electricians and any number of other categories of skilled workers, where will you be, Fiji? Why hasn’t there been a concerted effort to persuade everyone that they belong instead of casting non iTaukei as visitors in their own land? Easy. Because our leaders are ineffably stupid and shortsighted.
For this folly, Fiji is going to pay a terrible price. Yes, people living overseas will send some of their income back to support their families but you and your children are definitely going to suffer. Because so many of our best and brightest are heading for the exit and history tells us that they won’t be back, other than for the odd holiday, wedding or funeral. Their skills have been irrevocably lost. And that is a national tragedy.
This addresses a serious problem that Fiji faces. This government has been a disaster for the economy, turning a precarious situation into a disastrous one with its first set of decisions. This included a $1bn giveaway of tax payer loans that will benefit the Aussie or Kiwi economies only. Then the Fiscal Review Committee gave every local person a kick in the butt with a VAT rise. The mystery remains how they awarded overseas interests with tax holidays and how this decision was taken as a first order of business. But the result is that Fiji and its people have been sold down the river in record time. Definitely not a fan of the last lot but it must be time to ask them to come back just for the sake of the economy and the greater good of the nation?
Majority of the people that are leaving are people of minority persuasion.
Because the government has displayed that it is not a champion of equal citizenry as the constitution prescribes.
This is a racist government.
This is timely and candid assessment, Graham. When I read the World Bank Report, the same thoughts crossed my mind. The tragedy is that our own government is behaving like the proverbial ostrich. The ethno-nationalism in the Rabuka Government is blatantly obvious, sadly abetted by the NFP and its current leadership determined to save their own positions at all costs. Couldn’t Professor B C Prasad do his own analysis and costs to the country of losing people, especially with skills, it has invested in nurturing and developing them, and ‘educate’ the Cabinet so they can make more rationale decisions. Has there been any research (obvious as it is) based on sentiments of the people who have left for the touted ‘greener’ pastures. People are temporarily pausing their specialties and taking courses in areas such as ‘aged care’, ‘hospitality’ etc just as a passport and sacrifice for a better future for their children. Sounds familiar. That is what our Girmitiyas did, albeit in a different, climate. And the Coalition is abetting this through its racist policies. People are voting with their feet!
Australia already has a major teaching crisis as teachers are either leaving for other employment sectors and the fact that people aren’t really going into teaching these days.
It is only natural that we would look outside Australia to fill the shortage, just like nursing and other jobs. People who are looking to leave racially prejudiced and under-developed countries such as Fiji will jump at this opportunity. I vividly recall when the 2000 coup happened, all the Indian teachers who were teaching me chemistry, English, math, phyiscs, etc., all left for Australia as they no longer felt safe. It was the harsh reality at the time. In the end, we also left Fiji because of the socio-economic issues and the political volatility of the place.
I know a lot of people reading your blog will probably comment “well, get out of Fiji then” and “if you want to go, then just go as we don’t need you here.” The reality is that the very people who make such comments are the ones who are always the first to ask for handouts from international donors or freebies from the government.
Despite the fact that the FFP was a much hated power, it didn’t really waste time in such things. To their credit, they were a more mature breed of politicians with some foresight as opposed to the current racially biased grog-swiping lot. So, Rabuka, being a fan of rugby, made a song and dance. Lo and behold, Gollings was axed from his role and the decision to axe him was not based on and independent assessment by the FRU board, but simply because the PM and AG had asked for this to be done.
Hopefully the international rugby committee sees this and will impose some penalties for this political interference. A reduction of funds or even a total suspension of funds may just kick Rabuka into reality to realise his actions have resulted in further chaos.
Rabuka needs to forget about meddling in the affairs of the FRU and do his job: act like a real PM and sack Taubya. That is the job of the PM.
Oh wait here, the current government and the deep state decision makers don’t want an educated population. How else would they bong each other, cover up, look away and when caught, ask the people to close their eyes, mention the vanua and quote some Bible verses and ask for forgiveness. Repeat. These people would send their dumb children under some scholarship programme to some propped up collages abroad, fail, then extend the scholarship to TAFE, spend the next 5 years doing a diploma and then a “Tailored Masters Degree” (most probably from Queensland University of Tech) and lo and behold, we now have an “expert graduate” and a future minister. In the meantime he is posted as some senior civil service. Remember Mr Bongs educational qualification??? Wake up people, we may have a Haiti in the making.
The time is right for the most skilled Fijians to leave. What more do you need. You are being offered more than double pay, better health better education for yourself and your children and you have a racist government telling you to go.
The hospitals are falling, there are no nurses, the roads are full of potholes, the cost of living is higher than ever, government is giving tax breaks to billionaires, there are no teachers in schools, police are stealing and peddling drugs, civil service has never been in a worse state, and the national debt will go to 15 billion in 4 years.
Think about your kids future and leave Fiji if you can. This government will push us into a hole so deep that we will not see light for a generation.
For those who fear moving, remember the Indians were brought here to an unknown land with nothing more than a few pairs of clothes and they did OK. You will be OK in a new land too. I fear for Fiji and her children because the future looks dark.
I regretfully say I voted for this bunch of buffoons they call the coalition.
Wow double standards, as a Fiji Citizen I am a director of an IT Company in Australia. Back in January 2023, we were keen to employ IT graduates and experienced personnel in Fiji “remotely” to provide them internship and opportunities for growth. There was NO requirement for them to leave Fiji.
We designed a one-page Ad and Fiji Times flatly rejected the Ad saying we are not located in Fiji and we need to have a company registered in Fiji.
I am assuming that the Minaret College is registered as an organisation in Fiji? If it is not then why the double standards Fiji Times?
There has been a massive brain drain in Fiji by the “vulagis” (yes I am one too) and now increasingly itaukei families are leaving too.
Soon Fiji will be a residue of the scum that floated to the top. Tragic.
The scums have already floated to the top judging by the quality of leadership this country has had to live under in the last two decades.
Fijians will just have to learn to do better and STOP voting in coup leaders! As we’ve witnessed, the pendulum of Fijian leadership has swung from one extreme (Bainimarama) to another (nutty incumbent). Tit-for-tat politics. But to what end, may I ask?
As a people, we must be more determined to do better than choosing such sold-out leaders. This country and her people deserve better.
So if you can avoid it, don’t leave. Stay and fight the good fight. These compromised, fake leaders are mere mortals who have very, very low standards as we’ve been witnessing. Never, ever emulate them but work diligently towards removing them from power. And always keep the faith, for Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The ongoing exodus or “exit” of Fijian citizens to greener pastures are not limited to just Vulagis, but increasingly Taukeis too. A certain count will certainly be revealing, that is, of the number of children and spouses of Taukei MPs including those on the Government side, senior public servants and private citizens now studying, working and residing in Australia. And still moving over to the Land Down Under plus NZ and US. Minaret will thus be inundated with applications.
As the revolving exit door spins out of control, one wonders if Amelia and her staff have the capacity to process work permit applications for those from abroad recruited to address our growing skills shortages. Incidentally, applications for new passports are suspended for weeks till later this month. Chaos then at the borders!
Of course this current government wants smart people to leave Fiji…so they can rule over less educated especially the ones that won’t question them…the one that say ” Yes Sir”… “Io Saka..” “sa dina…”.
One eyed man will always rule over the blind.
Largest number of migrants to NZ from Fiji happened last quarter.
Haere mai.
We will have your skills, good working ethics, and culture.
Go to seek.co.nz and educated gazette. Lots of work.
Try and also live outside of Auckland for a quiet and nicer lifestyle.