PRASHILA DEVI
CHILDREN are the ambassadors of ensuring that we keep Fiji plastic free hence it is important to encourage their participation in activities like the Plastic Free Fiji Campaign awards.
This was the message imparted by the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, as he handed over the prize and certificate to winner of the competition held earlier this year to Kulukulu Public School in Sigatoka.
“I wanted to thank you all personally be-cause Kulukulu Public actually put through 10 entries which was the single biggest effort by any school in the competition.”
“We want to encourage schools like Kulukulu Public for making this effort and also all these young students who will be-come the ambassadors of ensuring that we keep Fiji clean from plastic,” the A-G said. He added that apart from the fact that plastics do not look good on our streets and environment, it is also detrimental for the environment therefore inculcating this message through the schools, parents, committees and so on will ensure young people carry forward these new ideas and culture of keeping their environment clean.
The competition has helped raise aware-ness amongst the 278 students of the school who have become so environmentally conscious that now they plant trees on their birthdays rather than cutting cakes and having sweets.
The school teachers feel that as educators it was their obligation to not only nurture the minds of children academically but also make them conscious of their environment through initiatives like Plastic Free Fiji Campaign.
The A-G also reminded the students to speak up when their see their sib-lings, parents or relatives are using and disposing plastic in their daily lives.
“If you see your family members- your brothers and sisters or your parents throwing plastic out, tell them not to do that.”
The school received a television set with a Walesi set-top box for its effort that saw students right from kindergarten to Year 8 participating in the competition.
Meanwhile, the A-G told the students that from January 1, 2021 Styrofoam will also be banned in Fiji and several companies are working on alternatives.
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