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Fiji’s education system could be dramatically improved by listening to the views of its children and young people, according to an academic from The Australian National University.
“Children and young people provide insights into education from the perspective of students. They know what they enjoy at school and what excites them and helps them to learn,” said Dr Sharon Bessell, an expert on children’s citizenship and their role in decision making and community development.
“They also know what is boring, confusing or - in some cases - frightening.”
According to a press statement on the ANU website, Dr Bessell will discuss her research at the annual 2009 Pacific Islands Update in Sydney today.
Dr Bessell’s research on education in Fiji has highlighted two issues that children and young people are particularly concerned about; ending corporal punishment in the classroom and greater professionalism amongst teachers.
“My research in Fiji shows that education is very important to children and young people. They want to learn. But they want to learn in an environment that is safe and supportive. They want learning to be fun. In the context of Fiji, changing teaching practices so that positive discipline rather than corporal punishment is used is vitally important to children and young people,” she said.
Dr Bessell said that ‘bringing in’ the voices of children is increasingly recognised as being important in social policy. But she warned that it will be a long time before those views are recognised as essential to the development of educational systems.
