Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Satyendra Prasad, has called for the global community to support transforming education and support efforts to turbocharge transformations across the education sector in Fiji and across the Pacific Islands.

He made this statement at the Transforming Education Summit on Financing Education, in New York, this week.

The Fijian Government has co-chaired the summit with the Government of Belgium in an effort to present a new global compact on financing educational transformations. Minister for Education, Premila Kumar, had participated in the preparatory process, leading up to the Transforming Education Summit, which is now underway in New York at its General Assembly Meeting.

Ambassador Prasad added that Fiji’s education progress was held hostage to the persistent impacts of climate change. Climate finance needs to include windows that are specific to the education sector. He called on leaders to support the compact.

During his recent visit to Waiqele Primary, All Saints Secondary and Labasa College, Ambassador Prasad interacted with students on their hopes for education sector transformations. He told the UN that Fijian students looked forward to action, not words alone, and solidarity that they can feel in their classrooms and in their communities.

Ambassador Prasad shared Fiji’s aspirations to draw in private and innovative financing to drive Fiji’s Digital Learning Revolution.