NADI schools Swami Vivekananda College and Maigania Primary won first place in a clean school program led by volunteers from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
In the primary school’s category, Nawaicoba Primary School was third runner-up, while Votualevu Public School took second place.
Nadi Sangam College was the third runner-up in the secondary schools’ category, while Sabeto College came in second.
At the awards presentation in the Nadi Town Council chambers yesterday, chief guest Iwatani Makumo, JICA’s assistant resident representative, said the students could be agents of change within their respective schools.
“Through the clean school program, students can learn the current situation of waste management and consider how we should treat recyclable waste,” he said.
“Parents’ or grandparents’ generation of students may not fully recognise the issue of waste management, so students can be instructors to change their behaviour as well.”
Mr Makumo said about 30 JICA volunteers had been dispatched to Fiji.
“There is a long history of collaboration in solid waste management with Japan, and JICA has implemented various technical cooperation projects for over 20 years in the Pacific region,” he said.
“The Japanese Government and JlCA also provided waste management-related machinery and equipment, such as garbage trucks.”
Mr Makumo said waste management was a major challenge in Fiji despite many years of cooperation.
“At the same time, waste management is still one of the major challenges in Japan as well. Japan and JICA do not have a perfect solution, and technology cannot solve all problems at this moment.”
“It does not mean we cannot do anything.
“We can change behaviour, and we can change the future.”
