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[posted 09 November 2004, 12:00]
4th
November, 2004
MEDIA
RELEASE
FORM
7 SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INDIGENOUS FIJIAN STUDENTS
The
announcement by the Minster for Education to provide Form 7 scholarships
only to indigenous Fijian students exclusively in indigenous Fijian
schools is a final blow to widen and deepen the divide on the ethnic basis
in our school system.
This
simply means that the SDL Government is using the scholarships as a
further means to segregate indigenous students from the mainstream
schools.
The
policy also discriminates against students of other communities who are
poor. These students need and deserve financial assistance so that they
can also complete their Form 7 education.
This
hurts the non-indigenous Fijian students as the government’s policy
provides assistance to some of the students from rich families but denies
the poor students assistance on the basis of race. This is deplorable and
a source of pain.
The
policy also offends Section 44 of the Constitution, which requires
equality of access to all disadvantaged groups. The Fiji Labour Party is
concerned that in spite of assurance from the Human Rights Commission to
follow-up complaints on discriminatory policies in education nothing has
been done. This has obviously encouraged the government to extend its
discriminatory policy to Form 7 education.
The
Fiji Labour Party finds this policy as a part of the government’s veiled
agenda to promote a policy of segregation in education on ethnic lines.
The
government policy is effectively telling indigenous Fijian parents and
students that if they want scholarships then they need to come to
indigenous Fijian schools.
It
is too obvious that the SDL government is dismantling the secular
education system and gradually replacing it with a racial system. This is
social apartheid.
It
is ironic that the SDL government is announcing this policy hardly a month
after the so-called Reconciliation Week. The decision once again adds to
the hypocrisy of government’s hollow talk of reconciliation. Indeed the
SDL government is undermining secular education and silently trying to
weaken the delivery of education to the poor especially to those who are
members of the Indian community.
Pratap Chand
Spokesperson
on Education
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