Learning under make shift tents for the past three years has come to an end for students of Dreketi Primary School in Macuata, following the commissioning of their state-of-the-art classrooms today (20.02.24).
It was an emotional moment for parents as they watched their children being escorted from the tents to their new learning center.
Dreketi Primary School’s head teacher Shalendra Vijay said the commissioning of the new classrooms would go down in history as a day to celebrate the dreams and aspirations of students.
Despite experiencing difficulties while learning in tents, Vijay said that the students did not let it deter them from pursuing their studies, as reflected in their academic achievements.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, National Development, Strategic Planning and Statistics Hon. Biman Prasad while officiating at the event highlighted the substantial assistance rendered by the Australian Government through the Vuvale Partnership, which funded the construction of the classrooms.
DPM Prasad said Fiji has benefitted from this bilateral relationship, providing much-needed aid during some of the major challenges that hit the country like COVID-19, and the rehabilitation programs implemented in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Winston and Yasa.
Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji His Excellency Ewen McDonald said education was the cornerstone of development, power to education enables us to transform our lives, empower community and creates a world of possibilities.
“We know that investing in you is the best investment we can make to the future of Fiji,” Mr McDonald said.
The six classrooms and two abolition blocks were constructed at a cost of $2.9million.
