The Education Ministry is working on new policies as guidelines for teacher trainee intakes at Lautoka Teachers College and the Fiji College of Advanced Education.

Minister Filipe Bole said the new classification system will ensure that students who obtain their education in the rural areas will be willing to go back and teach in remote and rural schools under challenging environments.

Bole said the new geographical classification will replace the current ethnic classification which has often left out students who graduate from remote and rural schools.

The allocation of scholarships will be based on the new classification following the criteria’s of Urban, Semi-Urban, Rural and Remote. A total of 150 places will be allocated to each teachers college.

Bole adds the new policies will remove the race-based quotas and at the same time promote gender balance.