After 29 years, students of Navatu Secondary School in Cakaudrove can now study late into the night with the provision of electricity recently commissioned by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
Parents, students and teachers cheered as Mr Bainimarama switched the lights on in the classrooms overlooking Natewa Bay.
In commissioning the project, Mr Bainimarama said access to electric power was a service that most take for granted in cities and towns, where a great many people have lived their entire lives with the ease and comfort of electricity.
“That life-changing convenience has now come to Navatu Secondary School,” he said.
“With this over $179,878 investment from my Government, your communities and school are safer, your children’s future is brighter, and Fiji is a stronger nation for having unlocked more of your people’s potential.
“You will experience the benefits of reliable power supply every hour of every day in innumerable ways. Your children can complete their homework into the evening, even after the sun has set.”
Mr Bainimarama told students and parents that they were now spared from the uncertainty of intermittent power supply, the cost of keeping candles and kerosene lamps on standby and the poor health effects of smoke exposure from burning firewood.
“To put it simply, you can advance on the same foundation as the rest of the country and make the most of the knowledge-based society we are creating for Fiji,” he said.
“My commitment as your Prime Minister is to extend electricity access to every home in Fiji by 2026. Increasingly that means going to great lengths to reach the most rural and maritime communities. In some cases, it makes sense to extend our national grid, as we’ve done here. In others, we’re deploying more sensible solutions, like solar power.”
