Do not lose sight on cultural identity

www.fijisun.com.fj - 27/11/2009

Fiji must not lose sight of the maintenance of its own identity, values, traditions and customs and traditional structures, says Filipe Jitoko. He is the Permanent Secretary for Education and he made the comment during the Queen Victoria School’s (QVS) Annual prize giving ceremony yesterday. He said over the years the role of QVS had extended so that its purpose in training Fiji’s leaders was not only confined to traditional chiefly household, but a substantial contribution to other areas of national development. He said the school should feel proud of its achievement in educating Fiji’s leaders for more than a century. He said QVS was associated with the education and training of men of rank with the concept of nurturing those who would finally ascend to the thrones of the chiefly households. “The push towards providing an education system for all and the reduction of inequities and disparities in education has brought about changes in the provision of education in Fiji. “I firmly believe that it is imperative that Fiji’s traditional societies embrace and welcome the role of education in their development in the same way the market does.” He said education was a pre-requisite to economic growth and Fiji’s traditional society should similarly value the education of its members as of paramount importance to their development in this modern day and age. “Students who represent their different vanua should be reminded of their traditional obligation in accordance with the expectation of their elders,” he said.