Electricity could significantly enhance the educational experience for students and teachers at Domonisavu Primary School in Nayarabale, Cakaudrove. The school serves 67 students from kindergarten to eighth grade and has been without electricity for the past seven years.
Situated 60 kilometers from Labasa town, Domonisavu Primary School employs five teachers. According to school manager Manoa Tamaitugi, the community originally built the school in 1960, relying on kerosene lamps before acquiring a generator for electricity. In 2007, the school received a large solar panel from the European Union, but it ceased functioning after ten years.
Since 2017, the school has made verbal and written requests to the Ministry of Education for new solar panels in hopes of improving their situation. Currently, teachers must travel to Labasa to print worksheets, exam papers, and other educational materials due to the lack of electricity.
Tamaitugi emphasized that access to electricity would greatly enhance the learning environment, allowing for the use of printing and photocopying machines and providing opportunities for better lighting during extra classes. It would also enable the use of teaching aids such as televisions, laptops, and overhead projectors, along with access to Wi-Fi and the ability to recharge devices.
Students at Domonisavu Primary School come from several nearby settlements including Nayarable Village, Baleyaganiga Settlement, Nayaqalevu Settlement, Tabia Settlement, Dokanaisuva Settlement, and Namagala Settlement. The school has four classrooms, a library, an early childhood education center, a headteacher’s office, and four teacher’s quarters.
Tamaitugi noted that while parents recognize the school’s rural nature, they continue to urge him to seek assistance from the Ministry of Education, especially since urban schools receive more government support. He added that the lack of network coverage forces teachers to climb a mountain to make mobile phone calls.
Despite these challenges, the school remains hopeful for government assistance in obtaining solar panels, which would motivate students to excel academically. When approached by MPs in Parliament, Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro promised to investigate the matter and provide a response.