Prime Minister Hon. Voreqe Bainimarama today paid tribute to the Principal of Cicia High School Isikeli Karikaritu for his leadership in empowering the students of the school in Lau to excel in education despite lacking resources.
The Head of Government was addressing principals at the 116th Fiji Principals Association Conference in Nadi where he made special mention of Mr Karikaritu and his achievements in one of the most remote high schools in the country.
“I was very inspired earlier in the year by the story of the Cicia High School in Lau and the astonishing 100 per cent pass rate of its students in the Fiji School Leaving Certificate.
How could this have happened in a relatively small school in one of the most isolated parts of Fiji? How could it have achieved such excellence?” he asked.
“And then I read the story of its principal, Isikeli Karikaritu, and the way in which he had motivated the entire school, staff and students. How he got them to believe in themselves. Got his teachers to perform in the classroom in a way that may have surprised even them and got his students thinking ‘yes we can’ We can be as good, if not better, than anyone else in Fiji.”
The Prime Minister reminded the heads of secondary schools that the Fijian government was exhausting all avenues to ensure that Fiji’s future remains bright through quality education.
“That school (Cicia High) may be isolated, deprived of resources and be amongst the least likely to excel. Yet with the right person, it can sometimes be a beacon of hope in the entire education system,” Prime Minister Bainimarama said.
“Cicia High School is now an example for the entire education system and it reminds us that we can achieve excellence even in a developing country such as ours with limited resources. It is the quality of the people in it - their dedication and pride. And I want to pay tribute today to Isikeli Karikaritu and thank him on behalf of the Fijian people for his leadership. He is a role model for every principal in Fiji, a hero of the teaching profession.”