THE Government of Japan will provide $982,845 for new classroom blocks at Tailevu North College and Ratu Filise Memorial School, as part of a wider education assistance program worth more than $2million for four schools.
Speaking at the signing of the grant contract yesterday, Japan’s Ambassador to Fiji Hiroshi Tajima, said the funding would provide safer and more suitable learning environments, with the new buildings designed to withstand Category Five cyclones.
“These projects directly address the existing challenges and provide safer, stronger, and more dignified spaces for learning,” he said.
Under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Projects program, each school will receive a fully furnished three-classroom block built with reinforced concrete.
Mr Tajima said Tailevu North College had suffered significant damage from natural disasters, forcing students to learn in temporary tents where rain, dust and overcrowding created difficult conditions.
He explained that overrowding at Ratu Filise had forced some students to sit examinations in corridors and the library because classrooms could not accommodate the required spacing between desks.
Education Minister Aseri Radrodro said the wider 2026–2027 program would also assist Rewa Secondary School, and Ratu Varani Memorial School with funding totalling more than $2m.
“Leaving no child behind requires us to address the needs of schools throughout Fiji and ensure that children have appropriate facilities in which to learn,” he said.
Tailevu North College principal David Wedlock said the funding of $485,400 would be used to fund its new classroom block, including 120 desks and chairs, three teachers’ tables and chairs, and three whiteboards.
Ratu Filise Memorial School manager Dreu Vukaulagi said the new classrooms would provide more than just improved facilities, offering students a safer and more inspiring place to learn.
