The European Union (EU) has once again come to the aid of Fiji school children affected by Tropical Cyclone Tomas.
Through the Fiji Education Sector Programme, the EU will present on Monday 29th March an initial cheque of $1million to the Ministry of Education to commence rehabilitation work in badly affected areas.
The money will be used to repair and purchase school equipment for schools in the northern and eastern divisions most affected by TC Tomas.
The balance of the funds will be made available after a full report on the damages to schools in the two divisions is submitted by the Ministry to the EU office.
It is envisaged that the EU will provide more than $2million to assist the Ministry in its rehabilitation efforts.
In response, Government is indeed grateful to the European Union for providing the much needed funding for the rehabilitation of schools that sustained immense damages as a result of the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Tomas.
In times of national need and grief befalling many of Fiji's people following natural disasters, the goodwill of other nations freely given through different forms of assistance is always a blessing and a pleasant experience to enjoy.
The children of Fiji, as beneficiaries of the EU's kind gesture, wishes to convey their gratitude to the people of Europe.
Their benevolent gesture of replacing lost learning implements and also providing modern facilities and equipment for learning has turned sorrows into joy.
Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Mr Filipe Bole.