The Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, Premila Kumar commissioned two Teachers’ Quarters at the St Teresa of Lisieux Primary School and St Teresa of Lisieux College recently.
The two-bedroom quarters, one for the secondary school and one for the primary school, are replacing structures that were destroyed by cyclone Winston in 2016.
Located in Sigatoka, St Teresa of Lisieux Primary School was established in 1926 and has a total of 115 students while St Teresa of Lisieux College was established in 1976 and has a total of 114 students, including 60 boarders.
While officiating at the commissioning ceremony, Minister Kumar stated this was another investment made by the Government to the education sector to improve the quality of education for our children. The construction cost of the two teachers’ quarters was approximately $491,000.
She added that when rebuilding, the Fijian Government has been constructing safe, strong, and resilient buildings as we believe not in just building, but building back better.
“Our new structures comply with the Fiji National Building Code and are compliant with CAT 5 standard. In this way we build for a sustainable future,” said Minister Kumar.
"Changing climatic conditions recently have impacted schooling outcomes in Fiji in various ways. Recent tropical cyclones and flooding events have damaged school buildings and teaching resources in the order of several hundred million dollars in replacement value. Schools are always used as evacuation centres which disrupt schooling."
The Ministry reminds all school heads and management to prepare well as we are in the cyclone season and school resources should not get damaged, should we have a cyclone.
Minister Kumar reassured the teachers present at the ceremony that when travelling to the countryside, it is not just to commission projects but to also hear from the teachers themselves and to learn about the challenges they face.
"Reaching Fijians in rural, remote and maritime areas is always our priority because we treat all provinces, towns and villages the same without any favour. We are creating parity in the services provided by the Government to urban and rural areas to ensure no one is left behind,” added the Minister.
The Minister reminded those present of their responsibilities when it comes to education, especially in light of the investment by the Government in providing a quality and affordable education for Fijian children through various initiatives such as free education grant, transport assistance scheme, free textbooks and tertiary loans and scholarship services.
“There are many ways we can help ourselves build a better Fiji, but we believe the best way is by investing in education. The world is changing every day, and we want our children’s education to be relevant. We must make sure that the education we offer prepares our children to compete in the global marketplace."
The Minister also acknowledged the efforts of all teachers for their volunteer work, getting vaccinated and preparing learning materials for students who stayed home for so many months. She commended teachers for their service to the nation.
The Education Minister reminded everyone that vaccination has proved to be the most important factor in relaxing some of the restrictions and reaching over 94 per cent as fully vaccinated is a milestone achievement.
The Ministry of Health is now offering booster shots to our most vulnerable people. She thanked Fijians who got vaccinated and encouraged those who are yet to get vaccinated to do so.
Minister Kumar wished the teachers and students a very Merry Christmas and the best of luck for the academic year.