Education Minister, Doctor Mahendra Reddy says the ministry can make a decision to stop a programme if they believe that it is not working well for the school system.
Doctor Reddy has made this clear after the Crest Cool Stuff for Schools Competition was stopped earlier this year.
Although Goodman Fielder says they have the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Education, Doctor Reddy says there is no formal agreement between the ministry and the company.
Doctor Reddy says he was shown a letter of approval by the Acting Permanent Secretary for Education last year.
However he says he examined the programme and told the school heads in January that they should not participate in this activity and school time will not be utilised for it.
He says the programme continued and two months ago, he wrote to the school heads that the Goodman Fielder programme should cease immediately or the teachers will be disciplined.
Goodman Fielder says it is very disappointed that it will no longer be able to deliver its Crest Cool Stuff for Schools programme to over 200 schools throughout Fiji.
Goodman Fielder Fiji General Manager, Chris Zaayman says full support from the Ministry of Education for the 2016 Crest Cool Stuff for Schools programme was received by Crest, in writing, in November 2015.
Zaayman says the ministry had also fully supported the Cool Stuff for Schools initiatives in 2014 and 2015, including its representatives selecting the students for the cultural exchange programme in 2014.
Goodman Fielder says cancellation of the programme will see Fijian students and schools now miss out on several education programmes.
This year, eight secondary school students were set to go on a cultural exchange trip to Singapore, five primary school students were to travel to the Gold Coast with a parent, and two final year secondary school students were to be offered three‑year tertiary programme scholarships. Following the completion of their studies, the two successful candidates of the scholarships were to be offered full‑time positions at Goodman Fielder.
Meanwhile Doctor Reddy has raised the question on how many students benefitted from the programme.
