Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Agni Deo Singh has reminded members of the Fiji Teachers Union (FTU) to build on genuine reconciliation and acceptance when conversing about partnership.
While officiating at the 93rd Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting of FTU in Labasa, Singh said the Conference theme this year, “The Power of Educational Partnership” was in line with the learnings and experiences from the 144 years of commemoration and celebration on the arrival of the Girmitiyas to Fiji.
“The reconciliation gathering initiated by the Methodist Church of Fiji together with other denominations and Cabinet Ministers was a great opportunity and an emotional and humbling experience; and one that will go down into the history books of Fiji, “said Singh.
“The genuine apology with tears, the genuine repentance, the genuine compromise, the genuine reconciliation and the genuine acceptance by the victims and/or the representatives of the victims was very affectionate and warmhearted.”
“I believe that was the beginning of the new dawn for all of us that we need to build on when we talk about partnership.”
Singh reiterated that we will need to partner and work with other ethnic and religious groups without any differences to bring change that has been initiated by our leaders together with the current Government, which has now begun.
“Teachers are great change-makers. It is the Teachers who make the difference, it’s the children we teach who are our future, if they can think the way we want them to think, then change will eventuate and take its course.”
He pleaded with the teachers to see how they can better understand, share knowledge and awareness of each other’s culture, way of thinking and language, traditions, and beliefs.
“The Peoples’ Coalition Government comes with a lot of humility, inclusivity, and the involvement of people in making decisions and bringing all of us together – it’s about true democratization.”
Singh further urged the Fiji Teachers Union members to deliberate constructively and positively, deal with any differences harmoniously, continue with the good things and further improve what needs to be improved; and move forward together for the betterment of this nation.
