THE parents of students of a remote college can now pay school fees online.
Saint John's College ex-scholar and former designer of the school website, Paula Tabutoa, said the parents could access the site at www.sjcawaci.com.
With the assistance of Connect Fiji, an upgraded website was launched yesterday in the presence of old scholars, teachers and former administration staff of the school.
Mr Tabutoa said the website had brought to the fingertips of parents, old scholars and supporters wider interactive keys for information about the college and those of their children at the Catholic-run school on Ovalau.
Two old websites, cawacians.com (organised by old scholars) and the school website have now been incorporated into one.
"Parents can now log in and check their children's school reports with a chat site in progress for communication from wherever they are in the world," Mr. Tabutoa said.
Children from as far as Africa, Nauru, Kiribati and Bougainville have enrolled through the school website.
The website quotes principal Father Ekuasi Manu as saying morale in the old capital was high and full of excitement because the students knew they could now have contact with their parents via the website.
"It would always be a disadvantage for our children to lag behind such a wonderful gift of technology that the world is using today," Father Manu said.
"Next year we're having children from Tonga who recently enrolled through the website. Parents who used to travel by boat and then across the rough terrain of the old capital can pay their children's fees, read their reports and communicate with their children from their beds."
The website was first designed and launched by Mr Tabutoa in 2003. It had to be taken to Australia where he resided in past years after the Government refused the school access to a website and a computer class.
It has now been handed back to the school, which has been given the green light from the Government.
