Tears of joy as students get proper classrooms
ALEVINA Segasegaca could not hold back her tears at the sight of her children and other students of Dreketi Primary School in Macuata being escorted from tents to their new classrooms last week.
Classss have been conducted their classes in tents since Tropical Cyclone Yasa ravaged through their community, destroying their classrooms.
The 44-year-old said, “I have three children that attend this school, and the commissioning today brings me joy and relief knowing that my children are in a quality learning environment when in school”.
Dreketi Primary School’s head teacher, Shalendra Vijay, said the commissioning of the new classrooms would go down in history as a life-changing moment and one that celebrates the dreams and aspirations of students.
Despite experiencing difficulties while learning in tents, Mr Vijay said that the students did not let it deter them from pursuing their studies, as reflected in their academic achievements.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, National Development, Strategic Planning and Statistics, Biman Prasad, while officiating at the event highlighted the substantial assistance rendered by the Australian Government through the Vuvale Partnership, which funded the construction of the classrooms.
DPM Prasad said Fiji has benefitted from this bilateral relationship, providing much-needed aid during some of the major challenges that hit the country like COVID-19, and the rehabilitation programs implemented in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Winston and Yasa.
Australian’s High Commissioner to Fiji, Ewen McDonald, said education was the cornerstone of development, education enables us to transform lives, empower community and creates a world of possibilities.
“We know that investing in you is the best investment we can make to the future of Fiji,” Mr McDonald said.
The six classrooms and two abolition blocks were constructed at a cost of $2.9million.