The country’s literacy rate has shown improvement, as reported by Assistant Education Minister Iliesa Vanawalu, following an assessment conducted last year. The minister credited this progress to the reimplementation of previous initiatives that had been abandoned by the former government.
Mr. Vanawalu noted the revival of Library Week, which had not been celebrated for several years under the previous administration. “There was no celebration of Library Week for the past few years. So, after a lapse of many years, we get to celebrate it again,” he remarked.
He emphasized that the renewed attention to libraries and their educational significance has resulted in noticeable advancements. “For us, we can see the improvement on the ground, especially the literacy level,” he stated, adding that increased access to library resources has had a beneficial effect on the literacy skills of students. “Now we can see the fruit of the work by allowing students to have library classes in Fiji,” he concluded.