A NEWLY-established secondary school in the district of Tokaimalo in Ra is enrolling school leavers in a bid to improve their literacy and numeracy skills before they enter the workforce.
Tokaimalo Secondary School head of school Josaia Rasiga said they were bringing back students who have been out of school for two years.
“The students we have, most of them are below average students,” he said.
“We are trying to pick out students who left school two years ago and we are starting to bring them in.
“At the moment we are working on trying to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.”
Mr Rasiga said while they worked on improving their students’ academic abilities, the school was also working through many challenges.
“The school is a newly-established school with no resources at all.
“We started off with seven teachers. With the limited resources we are fortunate to have the support of nearby institutions that donated computers and desktops and subject resources for the teachers.
“The school encounters a lot of difficulties with (mobile) networks, but we are fortunate to have Starlink.”
The school was commissioned by Education Minister Aseri Radrodro who urged the district’s traditional leaders from the seven villages and three settlements to enrol their children at the school.
Mr Radrodro said the establishment of the school would expand access to quality secondary education for rural communities.
He called on the vanua o Tokaimalo to enrol their children at the school that was closer to their homes and communities.
Mr Radrodro also encouraged parents and guardians to monitor and support their children, especially at home.
