The Adopt a Ship Program was officially launched in Suva yesterday with three schools from the Central Division being part of the programs.
Marist Brothers Primary School, St Annes Primary School, and Gospel Primary School were the first schools to be part of the program in the South Pacific.
The Adopt a Ship program is a free program that provides educational benefits and maritime professional career opportunities for children.
According to Adopt a Ship International, the program is a useful, sustainable, enjoyable, and well-developed tool that helps to begin the process of increasing children’s awareness of seafarers, shipping, and the maritime community.
Ministry of Education’s Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) director, Isoa Tauribau who was the chief guest at the launch said the program can be a beneficial tool to address gender parity, safety awareness and marine environment pollution.
“I am particularly pleased with this achievement because this clearly demonstrates that the Pacific is collective in its approach to support the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, including SGD 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,” he said.
“This achievement indicates the resilience and versatility of our community in actively seeking community outreach opportunities to engage schools to generate interest for a maritime professional career.
“It also reaffirms that the support of our community is crucial if we are to give our future generation every opportunity and a level playing field in an industry such as this.
“I cannot over emphasise the importance of engaging schools in the maritime industry, especially in the Pacific where over 90 per cent of trade and commerce is carried by ships, with island nation’s relying on shipping to supply essential goods and commodities including food, fuel, building materials and vehicles and to provide access to international market for export.”
He said Maritime stakeholders are encouraged to increase the awareness and participation of young men and women in the industry.
“I am pleased to note that after collaborative efforts between the Adopt a Ship International coordinator – Pacific and the Ministry of Education, we have commenced with the program in the three schools.
“The coordination of this program, has been entrusted to Fiji Women in Maritime (WIMA) a commendable move that aligns with our commitment to ensure that our younger generation now have opportunities to learn about the maritime sector from a young age.”
He said the program aligns with the vision of the Fijian Government to sustainable development, maritime safety, and international cooperation.
The students who were part of the launch also got a chance to tour the Republic of Fiji Navy’s Stanley Brown Naval Base and the guardian-class patrol boat – RFNS Savenaca.
