The Ministry of Education will need an extra $9 million to keep early childhood teachers in school until 3:30pm.

This is according to Fiji Teachers Union General Secretary Muniappa Goundar who says this is part of the submission on they have made regarding ongoing teacher salary negotiation between the FTU, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Civil Service.

He says this will be an increase from the current five hours to eight normal working hours a day.

He says if it’s approved, it will allow an increase in their pay and also assist the Education Ministry in addressing the current shortages of teachers in primary schools.

“So, we have to look for that $9 million to keep these ECE teachers in school, so that these ECE teachers, one, they’ll be able to help you out if a teacher in years 1, 2, or 3 is absent. Because the TTIs, you know, have assured us that they can teach till year 3.”

Goundar says that currently ECE teachers are paid hourly according to their qualifications, such as degrees, diplomas, higher certificates, and the normal certificate.