Issue No: 708; 28 April 2001

In a two-part series article which appeared in this weeks' Daily Post, one of the members of the Commission, Dr. Esther Batiri Williams writes:
"The intention was that once the report was ready, there would be widespread discussions on the recommendations, possibly an education summit to discuss the findings and make implementation plans. The idea was to get eh people of Fiji involved in the implementation process. Unfortunately this has not happened."

It is now known widely that the regime has started selectively using the Education Commission report to put in place policies which are highly discriminatory. The launch of a Blueprint for [ethnic] Fijian education this week, with a promise of $8.4m financial injection exclusively into ethnic Fijian education, on top of what they are already getting and which has not been fully utilised or accounted for, for many years, is an indication that the regime is without shame pursuing a racist agenda.

The report, which was not finalised when the terrorists struck, was completed by bureaucrats led by Joji Kotobalavu. The report written by Kotobalavu does not reflect the views of the members of the Commission, nor are based on factual foundations. It is believed that Kotobalavu used the opportunity of an authoritarian regime, to pursue his own personal agenda in the report.

It is not surprising that the report has not been distributed in Fiji or available in bookshops.

Dr. Williams expressed concern at the non-availability of the report: "Many concerned citizens have not been able to get a copy of the report. Others have been asking copies to review but cannot access a copy. There are no copies in the bookshops. If we are serious … then we must ensure that the report is widely distributed…"