A $1.2million double-storey school building was officially opened at Vunidawa Sanatan Primary School last week.
The new school block, which was funded by the Indian Government through the adopt a school program, will assist students and teachers progress further in the future.
Attending classes in makeshift classrooms will now be a thing of the past for students of Vunidawa as the Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Srimati Padmaja, and the Minister for Education, Rosy Akbar, opened the new building.
“With extensive damage to crops and households throughout this area, the Vunidawa Sanatan Primary School, which educates children from 16 different communities, was left completely barren after this entire building was brought down by the strong winds,” Minister for Education Rosy Akbar said.
“This building was considered to be the hub of the school. It housed the school office, classrooms, library, sports room, school canteen, computer room and the kindergarten room which benefited more than 200 students.
“Not only did Winston bring down the most important building of the school, but it also hurt the education of the hundreds of students in this school along with it.
“Our children who are part of a very vulnerable group were left without a classroom.” She thanked the Indian High Commissioner, Ms Padmaja, and the Indian Government for its support to the Fijian Government in the Tropical Cyclone Winston rehabilitation program.
“This new building not only replaced the destroyed amenities, but teachers and students will now be able to enjoy an extra washroom area and tea room,” she said.
“This building is a symbol of our resilience through adversity.”
