The people of Nasau in the province of Ra have had it tough before the construction of a new secondary school in their district last week.
After completing primary school education, students living in the district have had to leave their homes to pursue higher education elsewhere because there wasn’t a secondary school in the district to cater for their higher learning.
Tough decisions that parents have had to make over the years were to either send their children to Ra High School which is 25km away, or send them to Navesau Adventist School in Wainibuka which is 30km away from the district.
Some parents have even gone to the extent of sending their children to study in Rakiraki or in the Central division.
With limited financial resources, parents in Nasau dread the idea of parting with their children or having them stay with relatives in the urban areas.
Also the idea of being a day-scholar for a student living in Nasau is far-fetched as having travelled one way meant a hefty expense for their parents, especially for a place where there is less to no bus services.
Prayers of students and parents were answered when the Japanese Embassy stepped in to assist in the construction of two new school buildings in Nasau.
Not only will the school cater for the seven villages in the district, it will also provide education for other districts (tikina) close by.
A total of 110 students attend the new school.
Twenty kilometres inland from the Kings Highway at the Navitilevu junction stands the newly constructed $540,134 project.
The project consists of two new school buildings with five classrooms and one administration office.
The two buildings were also furnished with 150 sets of desks and chairs kindly donated by the Japanese Government.
The school’s Home Economics and Industrial Arts room were funded and constructed by the parents while the school’s toilet facility was built by the school committee.
In their efforts to provide the best education for their children up in the highlands, parents and the school committee went out of their way to contribute to the school project.
School head girl, Melaia Adimate said the senior students felt free being able to move from the primary school property which once served as their school building.
“Now we have a good learning environment. It’s more spacious than before,” Adimate said.
“Now it’s easy for students and teachers as we have more classrooms to cater for each class from Year 9 to Year 12.
“I’m happy to be a part of the opening and to be the first head girl of the new school. It is indeed a special day for all of us.”
Parent, Timaima Tinai of Vanuakula Village in Nasau said now being able to send her Year 12 child to the new school has made things easy for her as a parent.
The mother of five said from her personal experience after completing primary school at Nasau District School she went on to study in Rakiraki because there was no secondary school in Nasau at the time.
She shared that challenges associated with living and studying in town were many compared to being raised and studying in the village as there was immense support from the community.
“Having a secondary school right close to the village is different because I get to see my child leave home daily and return safely after school,” she said.
“When children live with their parents they receive a different type of nurturing compared to when they are sent off to live with relatives or to boarding school.
“With daily reminders of how tough life is in the village, children learn to be more responsible and do better in providing for their families in the future.
“There is also less influence of peerpressure in the village compared to the urban areas.”
She said she looks forward to sending her other children to Nasau Central when they complete their primary education from Nasau District School.
Japanese Ambassador to Fiji, Kawakami Fumihiro at the opening of the school project said the project not only provided the students with an opportunity to study in a conducive learning environment but it also ensured that there was a reliable evacuation centre for surrounding communities.
“Japan has provided funding for this project through its Grassroots Grant Assistance Scheme. I’m proud that the secondary school was built for the first time in the tikina of Nasau with the support of Japan,” he said.
“Japan’s strong commitment towards improving the education sector of Fiji is the basis for our decision to award this funding to the recipient school.
“I urge all stakeholders to please look after the new facilities and carry out timely maintenance so that Nasau Central Secondary School continues to serve the students and wider communities for many years into the future.”
Education Minister, Aseri Radrodro at the opening extended his sincere gratitude on behalf of the Fiji Government to the Government of Japan for their unwavering commitment and support.
“Our collaborative effort to build better education in Fiji through infrastructure over the years is worth celebrating,” Mr Radrodro said.
“The new classrooms will be here as living proof for the generations to come of the sheer hard work of the people of Nasau and their firm belief that education makes a difference in our communities.”
Villagers from Nadawa, Ovalau, Vanuakula, Nubumakita, Nukulau, Nasukamai and Nauria were present to witness the opening of the event.
