The $90,000 worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) donated by Fiji Chemical Ltd to the Ministry of Education is expected to boost COVID safety in schools around the country.
Receiving the PPEs yesterday, Minister for Education Premila Kumar thanked the company for the kind gesture and for distributing the equipment to schools in the North and West.
She commended students above the ages of 12 years old that had been vaccinated so far adding that this would bolster the ministry’s efforts to create a safe education environment.
“As you know the vaccination for program for students 12 years old and 14 years old is going on full swing, it is crucial that vaccination rates in schools increase,” she said.
“So far eligible students are 12 years and above, so the five-year olds and under cannot get vaccinated but the only way we can protect these kids are ensuring that older students are vaccinated.
“The vaccination rates in teachers are high at 99.4 per cent and that ensures that our education environment is safe.”
Also speaking at the handover, Fiji Chemical Ltd’s managing director, Darren Fisher said they had initially worked with Ministry of Health in June this year to identify ministries that needed their assistance.
Mr Fisher said his company was proud to be contributing to the safety of students around the country during this pandemic.
