Identifying policy goals

I have a different opinion, staff need to be paid for the supervision of postgraduate students. The time expended on supervision is much as compared with undergraduate. They should not wait for the promotion time. such may not come on time.

Yes, in some contexts loss of school resources due to burglaries is quite common. Tightening security seems to be the only solution, although this comes at a cost.

True… tightening security will be costly. In lowly developing countries, this will be impossible. So, I was kind of lacking ideas.

So there is this policy in Kiribati called ‘Inclusive education policy’. So the policy was developed in 2020 for many reasons. 1st it is to cater the need for all children, including those with special needs and/or disability. It is also to ensure equality is practiced in schools and that no biasness of some kind is practiced towards the different genders. Its development is, no doubt, helpful to many individuals, especially those likely of disadvantage.

The examination misconduct policy was formulated to reduce the rate of examination malpractice and offences in the course of student assessment at the end of each semester.
I will say that the policy to some extent help reduce the rate of malpractice and examination related offence because of the penalty implementation. Once a student is charge with any of the offences listed on their docket they get booked face an examination malpractice panel and punishment is served accordingly.

Name of Policy: Child Protection Policy
Below are some of the problems the policy was intended to address:

  • Child Abuse - a)Physical Abuse
    b) Emotional Abuse
    c) Sexual Abuse
    d) Neglect
    Furthermore, child abuse has risen rapidly in Fiji, not only in homes and on the streets but also
    in schools. Unfortunately, researches strongly suggest the degrading and long term effects of
    such abuse on the victims like; shock, fear, guilt, shame, depression and inability to trust others.
    Besides, there is also the social shame attached to abuse. This intensifies and increases the
    traumatic experiences of the victims and it is exacerbated by the indifferent negative responses
    of those who should report the abuse or those to whom the report is entrusted.
    Firstly developed in 2010 and constantly reviewed every year, the Child
    Protection Policy will directly address protection, identification, managing and reporting incidents of child abuse, child labor, trafficking, neglect and exploitation, so that wherever the Ministry of Education conducts its business, whether in the offices, schools or other teaching/learning environments,they should all be child friendly where safety, health and care of all students is promoted.

The Child Protection Policy provides a practical guide to prevent child abuse occurring and incorporate risk management strategies and also to curb the pressing issues faced by children in schools and society.
In my view, this is one of the best policies implemented in schools because every child has the right to be protected from abuse, any form of violence, inhumane treatment and hazardous or exploitative labor. Such a policy gives children/young people and parents useful information about how an organization will handle these issues, guides its employees in their daily work and makes the organization accountable. It also protects the staff, including volunteers and trainees.

The ODel Policy was intended to address ;
1.The use of the resources - who should access the resources
2. Content development- process of developing the content
3. Technical support - To ensure the LMS is well administered by system admin and ICT technician
4. Hosting - who will host the LMS
5. Backup

Yes It succeeded (50%) - We still have challenges in trainees accepting online courses , thus we need government guideline so that the trainees can take it seriously

The lack of technology enabled learning in most schools.
Marginalized youths are left out by traditional schools because learners cannot attend face-to-face lessons.
Special needs learners are not taken care of by a majority of conventional schools hence the need for open schools.

Technical support is very crucial in delivering courses through an LMS for both faculty and students.

The “National Education Policy 2009-2018” in Fiji aimed to address several issues in the education sector, including:

  1. Quality of Education: Enhancing the overall quality of education and learning outcomes.
  2. Access to Education: Increasing access to education for all Fijian citizens.
  3. Equity and Inclusivity: Promoting inclusivity and equity in education, particularly for marginalized and disadvantaged groups.
  4. Curriculum Development: Reforming and updating the curriculum to meet the needs of the 21st century.
  5. Teacher Professional Development: Improving teacher training and professional development.
  6. Infrastructure and Resources: Ensuring schools have adequate infrastructure and resources for effective learning.
  7. Management and Governance: Enhancing the management and governance of educational institutions.
  8. Lifelong Learning: Promoting lifelong learning and skills development.
  9. Strengthening Tertiary Education: Developing a stronger tertiary education system to support national development.

These goals aimed to create a more equitable, inclusive, and high-quality education system in Fiji.

The distance learning policy that is currently being updated was meant to provide guidance on how online learning is structured and the mechanism which will be utilised to facilitate online learning. The policy was not so much designed to solved a problem but to provide guidance. Considering that the policy was last updated in 2009 the time for updating is long overdue. I believe that this updated policy will provide more relevant guidance especially given the increased use of online learning due to the recent pandemic.

A Child Protection Policy is designed to address a range of problems and concerns related to the safety and well-being of children within an organization or educational institution. Some of the problems and issues that such a policy typically aims to address include:

  1. Child Abuse and Neglect: The policy seeks to prevent and respond to cases of child abuse and neglect, which may occur within the organization or in the home environment.
  2. Bullying and Harassment: It addresses bullying, harassment, and other forms of peer-to-peer mistreatment that can have a significant negative impact on a child’s emotional and psychological well-being.
  3. Child Exploitation: Child Protection Policies aim to protect children from various forms of exploitation, including child labor, child trafficking, and child pornography.
  4. Physical Safety: Policies address physical safety concerns, such as ensuring safe environments free from hazards and dangers within the organization’s premises.
  5. Cyber Safety: With the rise of digital technologies, policies also focus on protecting children from online threats, cyberbullying, and inappropriate content.
  6. Sexual Abuse and Harassment: The policy is crucial in addressing cases of sexual abuse, harassment, and inappropriate behavior, both within the organization and externally.
  7. Mental and Emotional Well-being: It recognizes the importance of safeguarding children’s mental and emotional well-being by addressing issues like stress, anxiety, and other psychological challenges they may face.
  8. Child Rights: Child Protection Policies are aligned with international conventions on child rights, ensuring that children’s rights to safety, security, and participation are respected.
  9. Reporting Mechanisms: The policy establishes clear and confidential reporting mechanisms for children, staff, and stakeholders to report concerns and cases of abuse.
  10. Training and Education: It promotes training and education to raise awareness among staff, teachers, parents, and children about child protection issues and the policy itself.
  11. Screening and Vetting: Policies often include procedures for screening and vetting staff and volunteers who work with children to ensure their suitability.
  12. Prevention Strategies: Child Protection Policies provide a framework for implementing preventive strategies and proactive measures to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect.
  13. Responsibilities and Accountability: The policy defines the responsibilities and accountability of staff and others in safeguarding children and responding to concerns.
  14. Confidentiality: It emphasizes the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of cases to protect the privacy and dignity of the child.
  15. Legal Compliance: Policies ensure that the organization complies with local, national, and international laws and regulations related to child protection.

Child Protection Policies are comprehensive documents designed to create a safe and nurturing environment for children, where their rights and well-being are prioritized and safeguarded. They address a wide range of issues to ensure that children are protected from harm, exploitation, and abuse.

The policy was intended to address the following:

  1. Flexible and Blended learning amidst disruptions either political, health, physical infrastructure. In this case COVID-19 was the problem
  2. Large classes for the common units would now use ODFL
  3. Roles and responsibilities of the ODFL stakeholders
  4. Structuring of the Department within the Institution

True. But i still there was a problem. Distance and open e-learning in some areas began or increased during the COVID-19. Hence, there was a problem of closure of school and learning had stopped.

The problem the policy tried to answer include:

  1. Harmonise how learners are graded by ensuring that there is a standard number of CATs.
  2. Developing a common way of grading the learners.
  3. Standardizing results.

Resource management
Trainer qualifications
Technology Use
Pastoral care
User support
and more

In order to attain Vision 2030, Government realised that it needed a well skilled competent citizenery for it to actualise vision 2030
In this regard, the Policy Expresses Government’s desire to enhance skills development at all levels starting from trade test certificate to post graduate with focus on women, youths and marginalised groups. In a highly competitive world for scarce competencies and in particular, in a rapidly expanding knowledge economy, there is need to have an elaborate policy and objectives regarding training, financing and curricula among other critical variables. Sustainable development in any nation can only be premised on a constant supply of adequate and appropriate skills, knowledge and attitudes which can be used to harness other resources such as land, minerals, forests.
In view of the above, the policy will address accessibility and participation of citizen to TEVET, promote quality and relevance of TEVET and inclusiness at all levels

  1. The Zambian National TEVET Policy of 2020 is intended to address increasing unskilled youth population, high dependence ratio, inadequate infrastructure, obsolete equipment, inconsistencies in the regulatory framework, inadequate quality control, inadequate human and financial resources, uncompetitive conditions of services and weal linkages between synergies with line ministries and other stakeholders.
  2. The Policy implementation plan is being followed and some issues have started being addressed. Already, in trying to increase access to TEVET other modes of delivery are being introduced that include ODFL. It is for this reason this course is being undertaken to ensure that quality ODFL is offered.

Hi Nancy
I am interested in learning more on the structuring of the Department within the institution. How did it work out?

The 2020 National policy on TEVET is intended to address a number of challenges and these are
-increasing unskilled youth population
-inadequate infrastructure
-obsolete infrastructure
-inconsistence in the regulatory framework
-inadequate quality control systems
-inadequate human and financial resources
-uncompetitive conditions of service
-weak linkages between training and industry
-weak synergies with line ministries and other stakeholders
Through the implementation of the policy some of these challenges are being addressed,however,issues of quality control and uncompetitive conditions of service still remain unresolved.