The European Union today handed over a cheque of $FJ1,054,878 to Fiji’s Ministry of Education to help with the rehabilitation of schools that were damaged by Cyclone Tomas last March.
Head of the EU for the Pacific, Ambassador Wiepke van der Goot presented the cheque to the Deputy Secretary for Education, Mr Josefa Sania at a ceremony in Suva today.
The money takes to $FJ2,054,878 the EU’s total contribution to the Ministry’s Cyclone Tomas Disaster relief operations as an initial sum of $FJ1,000,000 was handed over at the end of March.
"This second payment completes the EU’s promised contribution to the Ministry of Education’s rebuilding and rehabilitation programme after devastations caused by Cyclone Tomas," said an official of the Ministry of Education.
"The European Union share the Ministry’s view that the education of Fiji’s children in the northern and eastern divisions should not be hindered by damage caused by natural disasters," the official added.
Provided through the EU-funded Fiji Education Sector Programme, the new financial assistance will go towards replacing, repairing or strengthening classrooms and school equipment in a total of 147 schools -- both primary and secondary -- in Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Lau and Lomaiviti.