$200 school assistance: Help, timely
in the communities.
Parents of Nanuku, Wailea and Muanivatu settlements in Vatuwaqa, Suva, believe the timely assistance will help equip their children this year.
With the high cost in uniforms and shoes, Marica Vosanaua of Nanuku Settlement said the assistance was timely.
She has four children – two are still at home while one joins year nine and the eldest in year 13.
“First of all, I would like to thank the Government for this assistance. It will help many of us living here. We are faced with many challenges like permanent lease and no electricity,” Ms Vosanaua said.
“The assistance will help us to buy our children’s uniforms, books, stationery and shoes. In this family, only my husband is working.”
Good start to the year
Usenia Tavutavu of Muanivatu Settlement said the cash assistance was a good start for the year as far as education was concerned. She too has four children – two are working while two are in school. “The $200 cash assistance will solely be used to buy my two children’s school needs,” Ms Tavutavu said.
“So, the $200 cash assistance will be helpful for families like us. Thank you, Fijian Government.” In the North, Mary Vukitu, 45, of Wailevu Village in Labasa, also thanked the Government for the
assistance.
“The previous government provided assistance to our children and I was worried if this Government would continue that,” Mrs Vukitu said.
“This announcement is a great relief to me as I have to send my child to Year Nine at Holy Family Secondary School in Labasa.”
The mother of four children thanked the present Government for thinking about Fiji’s future generation.
Sera Ratulele, 39, working as a sugarcane labourer in Labasa, said this was the best New Year’s gift for ordinary and poor families. “I am originally from Bua but I work in a farmer’s farm with my husband in Waiqele, Labasa so that we can provide for our five children,” Mrs Ratulele said. “$200 per child is more than enough for us.”
Mr Rabuka reiterated that education was at the core of the coalition Government’s commitment to the people of Fiji.
“It is our hope that this assistance will, in many ways, ease the way back to financial stability for families who are still recovering from the dire economic events of 2020 and 2021,” the PM said.
“This is due to the hardship many families had faced challenges in the last couple of years whereby a lot of people have lost their jobs. “Your coalition Government has allocated a sum of $50 million under this programme, through redeployment of funds within the current budget.”