Simeli Cokanasiga made sure to attend the week-long workshop organised by the Ministry of Education’s National Substance Abuse Advisory Council because he believed the workshop would help upskill him.
He was not mistaken believing that everything he learnt will help him in resurrecting his school.
The 59-year-old is originally from Nasau Village on Koro Island and has been the manager of Tuatua/Nasau Primary School for the past three years.
The school was one of the most severely devastated schools affected by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston on February 20.
The holistic workshop dealt with issues surrounding drugs and substance abuse, elimination of all forms of violence against girls and women, HIV and AIDS, non-communicable diseases and peer pressure.
This is in addition to presentations by the ministry’s curriculum development unit, asset monitoring unit, emergency in education section, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, and Fiji Police Force.
Mr Cokonasiga said the workshop had enlightened him on how they could better help run the school and at the same time help the students.
“I have really learnt a lot, especially on how the grant from the ministry can be better utilised and also how we can help our students who face problems,” he said.
His name is synonymous on Koro, having been a member of the country’s renowned singing group, Voqa kei Nasau.
From a singing family, his grandfather, granduncles, father and uncles formed the all-famous Senitomole and Nasau Country — a sigidrigi (serenading) group well known in the 70s.
Later in the late 1980s, Mr Cokanasiga and his brothers formed the Voqa Kei Nasau among the many other famous singing groups that originated from Nasau Village.
Educated at Tuatua/Nasau Primary School, Mr Cokanasiga was still attending Koro High School when he developed his passion for singing.
He later formed and managed the group Caucau ni Delai Nakulakula, which was famous in the mid-1990s.
Other famous groups that came out from the village include Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki, Savu ni Delai Lomai, Veivueti ni Voqa Kei Nasau and Malumu ni Tobu o Naivaukura.
“All these groups, their fathers, we used to sing together before we decided to go our separate ways and form our own groups,” he said.
“Now our sons have carried on from where we left off.”
