DEPUTY PM HON. VILIAME GAVOKA'S ADDRESS AT THE HANDING OVER OF LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR BAU DISTRICT SCHOOL

05/03/2024


Ni tiko saka na Turaga na Vunivalu, na Tui Kaba.
  • Ni tiko saka Na Turaga iTalatala ni Wasewase o Bau, Nai ilesilesi ni Bose ko Viti,
  • Ni tiko tale ga vuvale vitacini na turaga nai Vakatawa
  • The Acting Counsellor for Human Development at the Australian High Commission: Ms. Fluer Calcutt
  • Invited guests,
  • parents,
  • teachers,
  • students,
  • ladies & gentlemen

Ni bula vinaka!
 
  1. First and foremost, I sincerely thank the vanua for the invite extended to me to be part of the handing over ceremony of the school library resources to the school management committee of Bau District School. 
 
  1. The delegation from the Australian High Commission, please allow me to be using both the English and the
 
  1. Fijian Bauan dialect in my speech. I am a strong advocate of mother language, as I strongly believe that when we speak our own languages, the message is greatly understood.
 
  1. Today marks an important occasion as the government of Australia in partnership with the Coalition government through the Ministry of Education invests in library resources.  As Minister for Education, I strongly believe that through reading, we will travel to places where we have never been before. Books become planes and ships that transport our imagination to expanded horizon of new knowledge.
 
  1. Ragone, o au na matai ni noqu cakacaka, au a cakacaka vaka librarian. Au dau taleitaka na wilivola, me yacova mai na siga edai, au sa mai Vukevuke ni Prime Minister, ka nomuni Minisita tale ga ni Vuli, ena Airports kece au kele kina, au na voli vola ni wilivola.
 
  1. To our guests from the Australian High Commission and Facility, please relay our heartfelt appreciation to the Australian High Commission and the Australian government for this great gift worth. The impact of this gift, I can assure you today will have multiplying effect on the children of our vanua from this day and into the future. This is a great investment I, believe that this investment is critical to the education of the children of Bau and it will thrive to breed more educated young people.
 
  1. Thank you to the Australian government for the continuous bilateral support given to the education sector especially on projects such as having to set up and refurbish  library in a rural remote village school like Bau District School. 
 
  1. To our partners in Education, parents, vei kemuni nai tubutubu, dauniveisusu ena yanuyanu turaga. Sa kerei na noda veitauriligataka vata na cuqeni ni kena vakayagataki na ivola ni wilivola. vi kuniu kece sara nai tubutubu na vitokoni ta tiko vakalewelevu edai.
 
  1. Na gone turaga talai sa bale o Rt. Sukuna e a vivakadreti ni vuli e vaka no na tevali e 3 na yavana (Education is a three legged stool); na matanitu, o ira na gone vata kei keda nai tubutubu.
 
  1. Sa kerei me na lewe ni noda bose vakoro na kena tokoni na nodra vuli kei na vuli lesoni na gone. E sa noda itavi kece saran a tokona na nodra vuli ka na gone ka sega ni nodrai tavi taudua ga na matanitu so ko ira na qasenivuli. E noda itavi me solevake na nodra vuli na luveda.
  2.  
  3. Bau District School was built in the heart of the village by the elders for a purpose so we as a vanua will always value education and ensure that it progresses by supporting projects such as this library refurbishment.
 
  1. Ragone, ni vakamatau taki kemuni ena wilivola, ni go na gaunisala ni noda vukei me vinaka noda vosa vakavalagi ka na veivuke sara vakalevu ena noda vulica na fika se na Math kei na nona volai talanoa se na composition.  Nio vakamatau taki iko na wilivola ena rabailevu nomu kilaka.  Books take us to places we have never been to and helps us to be creative and imaginative. 
 
  1. Na library e vale ni tukutuku se information. Na vakamatau ena library o na vulica e vuqa tale n aka vaka na internet, na climate change, renewable energy vata na veisau sa yaco tu qo ena noda vuravura.
 
  1. Na wilivola e vakaukauwataka noda vakatulewa me.  Ena vukei iko mo na  qai vakatulewa take na cakacaka cava o na gadreva mo cakava nio qase mai kei na  kena lesoni e tauri nio sa na lade ena secondary school.
 
  1. Noqu itatau ena nomudou vanua vakaturaga, na library me kua ni ukuuku tu ga ni noda koronivuli, me da vakaitavi taucoko ena nodra vakayarayarataki na luveda  me ra wilivola.
 
  1. I believe that will the library and the resources provided to our school library, the teachers will agree with me  that this library resources will boost reading, comprehension and communication skills and this will have rippling benefits in the 124 children’s literacy & numeracy skills.
 
  1. In my capacity as Minister for Education, Tourism and Civil Aviation, I challenge us all to be proactive in our children’s education because this is a great investment in the betterment and development of our school, our vanua, yasana and our beloved Fiji.
 
  1. Now it gives me great pleasure to receive and handover the gift to the school management of Bau District School.
  2.  
I request everyone present here today to accept and express our sincere gratitude to the people and government of Australia in the usual manner.
 
Vinaka vakalevu! Thank you.