The Permanent Secretary for Education, Heritage and Arts, Dr Anjeela Jokhan, commissioned new facilities at the Sukanaivalu Memorial School on the Island of Yacata in the Northern Division yesterday (9/11/22).

Speaking at the event, Dr Jokhan expressed her sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Government for the strong support and assistance provided in rebuilding the school.

She highlighted that the Government’s commitment to education has always had the common goal of providing “Education for All – leaving no child behind” and the successful completion of one of the Northern Division’s most remote schools is a milestone achievement in these efforts to extend the benefits of affordable education to all Fijians.

“It also ensures that all children, regardless of where they live in Fiji, have a better future with the knowledge and skills they acquire in school,” Dr Jokhan added.

The new facilities include new classrooms, an ECE block, a dining hall, an ablution block, teachers’ quarters, a solar energy system, and the provision of a backup generator that will enhance teaching and learning.

The school is also one of the 40 recipients of the Northern Connectivity Project which has empowered the school with internet connectivity enabling students and teachers to benefit from modern teaching resources.

The Permanent Secretary highlighted that the provisions for education in the various categories in the 2022/2023 budget demonstrate the Government’s commitment to the education of our children which will ensure that children have equitable access to education and that parents are better able to meet the needs of their children.

“We are one of the few countries in the world that provides free education in its true sense from ECE to Year 13, provides free textbooks and transport assistance. For a small middle-income country, this is phenomenal support,” added Dr Jokhan.

The parents, school management, and stakeholders present at the event were encouraged to join the discussion and offer support to raise educational standards in Fiji to ensure that our children truly benefit from education.

“As parents, we need to understand our children, guide them and inculcate good values in them. We all must see the development of our children as a shared responsibility between parents, teachers, communities, and our elders,” stated the Permanent Secretary.

Dr Jokhan commended the efforts of the Head of School, teachers, school management, and the entire community for their relentless hard work, improvising and shouldering the challenges for 5 years by conducting composite classes in the village hall.

Appreciation was also extended to Mr Orisi Tudreu and his team of 25 dedicated men of Jenns Construction who assisted in the construction of the school.

The school is named in honour of the late Sefanaia Sukanaivalu – a Fijian military hero and the sole recipient of the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantry in the Commonwealth. The Yacata native sacrificed his life to save his comrades during World War II in Bougainville Solomon Islands, in 1944.