Minister for Forests Hon. Osea Naiqamu today officiated at the Prefects investiture for Vunayasi Primary School in Nadi. The school caters for students of rural Nadi including the areas of Togo, Togomasi, Vunayasi and Dratabua.
Speaking at the ceremony today, Minister Naiqamu congratulated the leaders and reminded them of their responsibilities.
“To the newly appointed leaders, you are entrusted with the responsibility of serving the school with utmost pride and diligence. The environment you are educated in and live within is also your responsibility as well as for each student of this school and the nation,” he said.
“Being chosen to be a prefect is an honour and a great responsibility. The teachers must have put a lot of thought in choosing students to be leaders and often it is a hard choice to make. For those who did not make it, I always believe that there is a leader in all of us. We all can show leadership in our own everyday life.”
He highlighted the need for the prefects to continue to empower and better their fellow schoolmates.
“Being a prefect is about assisting teachers, not becoming teachers but assisting them to ensure the welfare of students. Good leaders should have some qualities of confidence, self-respect, compassion and kindness. I see prefects and class captains guiding others to be better people while learning to be better people themselves,” Minister Naiqamu added.
“The actions you perform as leaders should be inspirational to each and every student in this school. The path of leadership is not easy and you will be challenged at every corner, to be strong and not weak, to be bold and not oppressive, to empower the powerless and to wear the badge with pride and not arrogance. I ask you all to rise and face these challenges and be exemplary role models for your peers and the next lot of prefects who will be standing where you are now.”