RETURNING to a regular schedule after a slow-paced holiday is not easy.
But for three children from the interior of Sigatoka, boarding school life is a reality they embrace and look forward to.
A team from this newspaper caught up with Mereoni Deku and her cousins Merewai Viyalani and Alipate at Marine Dr in Lautoka yesterday.
The girls are borders at Jasper Williams High School while Alipate was returning to the hostel at Natabua High School.
A Year 13 student, Ms Deku sees boarding life as a place which provides ample time for study. She loves crunching numbers and wants to be an accountant in the future.
Her father, Kelevi Sauradu, said while expensive, boarding had its advantages.
“My daughter hopes to continue studies after high school so boarding life prepares children to be independent,” he said.
“We all know that the cost of things has gone up, it’s a fact. But education is important and that is why both me and my brother and the rest of the family travelled all the way from the village to bring the children to school.
“We are farmers and this is something we want so we have been saving for it.
“We want them to have a good education so we have been saving for their school needs.
“We want our children to study in good schools so we have to make the sacrifice.
“It’s hard work but here we have my daughter who has done so well, so it’s a worthy investment. We cooked from home and once we checked into the hostel, we decided to come out here to have one more meal with the children before we head back to the village.”
