Vunimono High School students garnered praise from Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad for their inventive approach to education at a groundbreaking ceremony held for the construction of 16 traditional learning spaces, known as ‘bure’. This ambitious project, valued at $160,000, originated from a proposal by the 2024 year 13 student council, reflecting the importance of community collaboration in educational development.
Professor Prasad expressed his delight, recognizing that the project was a brainchild of the year 13 students. “I was more delighted to come because I knew that the idea of this project came from year 13 students,” he stated during the ceremony at the Nausori school. The new bures are intended to be multifunctional spaces for students to gather during recess, lunch, and various recreational activities.
What started as a modest plan to construct two or three bures ballooned into a large-scale initiative thanks to strong community support, particularly following a successful fundraising event during the Diwali Mela Night, which raised an impressive $34,072 in just three hours. Principal Bijen Singh thanked generous sponsors, including Autocare Fiji Limited and Rajen Builders, who contributed significantly to the project’s funding by sponsoring several bures.
These bures symbolize Vunimono High School’s vision to create culturally enriching and inclusive spaces where learning transcends traditional classroom boundaries, fostering a sense of community, tradition, and identity. Highlighting the importance of collaboration, Minister Prasad noted that 99 percent of the country’s schooling infrastructure was built by community efforts and religious organizations, underscoring the need to revive such partnerships within the education system.
In addition to this project, recent developments in educational infrastructure across Fiji, such as improvements at other schools like Vatukaloko Secondary School and Nakorotubu Secondary School, demonstrate a concerted effort by the government to enhance learning environments. The positive trend of community engagement in educational initiatives not only promises better facilities but also inspires hope for students’ academic journeys and personal development.
Overall, the commitment to building these traditional learning spaces at Vunimono High School represents not just an investment in infrastructure but also in the futures of its students, fostering a sense of belonging and enhanced learning opportunities within a supportive community environment.
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