Two maritime schools in Fiji’s Northern Division are still functioning without proper classrooms, several years after they were damaged by natural disasters. Laucala District School in Dreketi Village, Qamea Island, suffered significant damage from a landslide in December 2016, while Yadua Village School on Yadua Island was affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasa in 2020.
Since the incidents, students have been learning in makeshift shelters, village halls, and community centers as they await the construction of new classrooms. School management has made temporary arrangements while waiting for intervention from the Ministry of Education.
Selina Kuruleca, Permanent Secretary for Education, stated that the budget for the 2024-2025 financial year includes funding for rebuilding classrooms at these schools. She did, however, acknowledge that logistical challenges persist.
“We are working to transport building materials to these schools on the islands,” Ms. Kuruleca said. She emphasized the need for timely access via barge to ensure progress. The ministry, alongside affected communities, is committed to moving children out of tents.
Collaboration with community members and corporate organizations has been established to support the rehabilitation efforts.
Muniappa Goundar, Secretary-General of the Fiji Teachers Union, criticized the slow response, suggesting that the ministry should have acted sooner. “It shouldn’t take four years to organize a barge. We’re already in the third term, and students and teachers are preparing for exams,” he remarked.
Despite the setbacks, Goundar expressed gratitude to the school management and villagers for their efforts in establishing temporary learning environments, which have allowed education to continue for the children. Ms. Kuruleca also confirmed that there are no other schools in the Northern Division with unresolved damage from natural disasters.