The Ministry of Education is awaiting initial engineering assessments regarding Vatuwaqa Primary School before proceeding with any further measures. Education Minister Aseri Radrodro informed Parliament that engineers from NRW Macallan (Fiji) Ltd have thoroughly inspected the fire-damaged buildings in collaboration with a team from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
A fire broke out at the school on December 12, 2022, resulting in the complete destruction of one school block and partial damage to another, reportedly starting around 2 am. The National Fire Authority (NFA) subsequently classified the fire as suspected arson on December 13.
Mr. Radrodro also mentioned that other schools have experienced similar fire incidents. He noted that fire rehabilitation efforts are ongoing at Lelean Memorial School and Vanuakula Catholic School in Waidina, Naitasiri. He added that construction at Degei House in Ratu Kadavulevu School (RKS) is nearing completion and is expected to be finalized in time for the school’s 100-year centennial celebration next week.
Additional dormitories affected by fire, including Sukuna House in RKS, and Verata House and Rewa House in Queen Victoria School (QVS), have also been allocated funding in this year’s budget. Preliminary work has commenced, with a tender expected to be issued by the end of this month.
The minister further stated that other educational institutions, including Ba Special School, have also faced fire incidents, and plans are in place to initiate fire rehabilitation efforts within the current financial year.
To manage these situations, the ministry has established a Rehabilitation Unit within its Asset and Infrastructure Section and aims to secure rehabilitation personnel in the first quarter of the financial year. Once operational, the Unit will review all scoping reports and designs provided by the lead consultants who previously worked with the ministry’s Construction Implementation Unit (CIU).