No Short Cuts In My Government: PM
He reiterates importance of Govt’s commitment to education while opening kindergartens at Mataweilevu, Barotu and Nailawa in Ra.
This is not a short-cut Government, says the Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama.
These were the words of Mr Bainimarama in an interview with the Fiji Sun after he opened Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centres in Mataweilevu, Barotu and Nailawa in Ra yesterday. Mr Bainimarama also said the rural areas had in the past been deprived of proper schools and that was the reason his Government was committed to make education a priority, which included the building of better schools.
“There has been a lot of talk about the schools not being rebuilt quickly enough after TC
Winston,” he said.
“We are doing things properly so that these schools and ECE Centres are built properly and not get blown down after each cyclone.
“That is the policy I have that no rural community will be deprived of schools and equipment that is enjoyed by schools in the urban areas.”
He said some people, especially Opposition members, did not understand the Government is rebuilding things right and not taking short cuts.
Mr Bainimarama said his passion for education and children stemmed from the fact that he had 19 grandchildren.
“I love children. It is a feeling I cannot explain and that is why I like being Education Minister because I can do a lot of things for the children of Fiji,” the PM said. “The children have been and will always be the priority of my Government and this is further strengthened by the Free Education Initiative, Free Bus fare Scheme, and is now the biggest investment in the education sector with over $900 million in budget funding.”
During the opening of the three ECE Centres, Mr Bainimarama said he continuously highlighted the fact that many kindergartens were not registered.
“It was only after TC Winston that we found out there was a lot of ‘stand alone’ schools like the ones we visited today,” he said.
“So when we found out after they wanted assistance we had to get them registered and build proper schools and ECE Centres like the ones opened today.
“Before they used to build these kindergartens for around $40,000 but we are building each ECE Centre at a cost of $148,000 each.”
The Prime Minister said the schools were built to withstand strong cyclones in the future and could be used as evacuation centres.
Meanwhile, the appreciation shown by villagers and parents at the three different villages was evident. In their appreciation the spokespersons for the schools said they were grateful for the ECE Centres and other assistance provided.