The Head Teacher, Mr. Sashi Kumar,
Members of the School Management Board,
Teachers, Parents and Children,
Invited guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good Morning, Namaste and Ni sa bula to you all

It is my pleasure to represent His Excellency the Ambassador of Japan, Mr. Yutaka Yoshizawa, in today’s handing over ceremony of a new library with furniture and walkway project funded by Japan at Naidovi Primary School. I am confident that these new facilities are a clear manifestation of Japan’s love and care for the grassroots people of Fiji particularly, to the community of Naidovi. Furthermore, it is my desire to express our appreciation for the generosity and the warm reception extended to me and my colleague this morning.

I also wish to convey to you Japanese Government’s deepest gratitude for the overwhelming support and message of condolence from the Government and people of the Republic of Fiji, during and aftermath of the unprecedented March earthquake and tsunami that devastated part of Japan, leaving behind mass destruction and loss of lives of our beloved ones.

Yet, Japan continues to remain determined to assist in the development of schools in Fiji that lack basic educational facilities. Furthermore, the Fijian Government’s announcement to introduce School Zoning scheme will make Japan’s ODA policy of upgrading rural and needy schools more effective and meaningful. In this regard, I encourage every stakeholder of this school to work collectively on the maintenance of this building to sustain its useful life for future generations of Naidovi.

Since the inception of its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects programme in 1993, Japan funded 256 projects with a total value of approximately 11.4 million US dollars around Fiji. Under the GGP Programme, Japan continues to provide small and flexible grants to support development projects at the grass-roots level through its GGP Programme that is specifically designed to address basic human needs, which include education, water supply, basic sanitary environment, health, vocational training and rural infrastructure. In the last Japanese fiscal year, namely April 2010 to March 2011 period, Japan had identified 13 projects under its GGP scheme with a total value of approximately 1 million US dollars, and among these 13 projects, nine were considered for schools around Fiji. Today’s handing-over ceremony also commemorates Japan’s sixth project in Fiji to be handed over successfully.

Finally, it is my deep conviction that this project will serve to strengthen the close relationship currently enjoyed by the people and Government of Japan and the Republic of Fiji. With these few words, ladies and gentlemen I shall officially declare the new library open to the children of Naidovi and I am hopeful that this project will motivate the young readers to read more and get exposure to achieving information and academic excellence.

Thank you, Dhanyvaad and Vinaka Vaka Levu