STUDENTS are building blocks of the new Fiji we are striving to achieve — one based on equality and merit.
These were the words of Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama when he opened the new Taveuni South Secondary School in Vuna yesterday.
"Nothing is more important to me as your prime minister than to ensure that our young people get the head start in life that a proper education provides," he said. "We want to give you the opportunity to acquire knowledge, gain new skills and prepare for the challenges of a modern world that is much more competitive than it was when I was sitting in your place.
"Just as no one owes you a living, no one owes Fiji a living. We have to all work harder and be smarter, to see opportunities when they arise and seize them, as individuals and as a nation."
Commodore Bainimarama said the role of government was to provide students with as many opportunities as it could, not only with schools but with skills training to best equip students for the workforce when they complete their education.
"Some of you will have the ambition to go to university. Work hard to pursue that dream. We are here to help poorer students who previously couldn't fulfil that dream with our new $2.2million Tertiary Education Loan Scheme."