A shortage of reading materials in rural schools was limiting students’ academic progress, former Gau Secondary School student Epineri Seibouma said as he urged greater support for schools outside urban centres.
According to a Fiji Times report published on May 7, 1994, Mr Seibouma, who was the president of the Gau Secondary School Old Scholars Association, made the remarks while presenting 10 cartons of hardcover library books to the school’s assistant principal, Serupepeli Udre.
“I was very surprised to see the quality and the variety of books available in Suva when I first came here after attending Gau Secondary School,” he said.
The disparity in educational resources between urban and rural schools, he said, needed to be addressed to improve learning opportunities for students in remote communities.
Mr Seibouma urged former students of secondary school in the rural areas to give back by donating books and other learning resources to their former schools.
“We want the students to be steps ahead of where we were when we were at those schools.”
Gau Secondary School, located at Nawaikama on the western side of Gau Island, served about 280 students from Gau and neighbouring Nairai with a teaching staff of 19 full-time and three vocational teachers.
Mr Udre welcomed the donation, saying the books would benefit both students and teachers. He said the school’s daily reading period had already been increased from 30 minutes to one hour in the second term to encourage literacy.
He added that the school’s library had expanded significantly since opening in the early 1980s, growing from a small collection to a dedicated library building established in 1991. The school’s old scholars association had also secured support from several embassies, including a recent donation of books from the American Embassy.
