Australian AID - providing new classrooms for flood damaged schools in the Western division

10 August 2012

Close to 550 students in Ba and Lautoka who had their schools damaged in the floods, are benefiting from refurbished classrooms now that repairs to their school buildings are completed.

NamosauMethodistSchool in Ba and VitogoDistrictSchool in Lautoka are two of 59 schools that are being repaired with funding from Australian AID, after the devastating floods earlier in the year.

Speaking at the official handover ceremonies to mark the completion of these works, the Acting Australian High Commissioner, Mr Glenn Miles said: “We are pleased to help repair these damaged schools after the floods this year. Australia is working with the schools most affected to ensure students can study in refurbished classrooms and have access to clean water and toilet facilities. Good facilities are an important part of helping raise the quality of teaching and learning for Fiji’s children.”

NamosauMethodistSchool received funding of more than F$100,000, through AusAID’s Access to Quality Education Program (AQEP) to repair and upgrade:

  • 16 classrooms
  • 2 teachers offices and a pre-school
  • A toilet block, and
  • A water tank and furniture

For VitogoDistrictSchool, Australian AID assistance was more than just repairs to the school’s infrastructure.

“Through Australian AID’s emergency response more than F$14,000 was provided for school levy relief,” Mr Miles said. “This funding made it possible for students to return to school and assisted parents in the recovery and the rebuilding of their homes.”

The school levy relief funding for VitogoDistrictSchool ensured a school feeding program for all its students – three daysa week from March to May. It also meant that parents who had paid school levies prior to the floods were fully reimbursed.

Infrastructure assistance to the school was an investment of F$130,800 which contributed to the repair and upgrade of:

  • 13 classrooms
  • 2 teachers offices, and a pre-school, and
  • A toilet block and water tank installation.

“The focus of Australian aid in Fiji is very simple to explain – it is to improve education, health and livelihoods for people, in particular in poor communities,” Mr Miles said.

Through AQEP,Australian AID will invest up to F$93 million (A$50million) over 2011 -2016 to improve the poorest 25 per cent of schools in all districts across Fiji.

Australian AID is working with the Ministry of Education and will support schools to help students access and stay in school with books, stationery and school grants over the next four years.

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