Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good Morning, and Ni sa bula to you all
It gives me pleasure to be present at today’s handing over ceremony of two new classrooms and upgrading works funded through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) program.  I wish to express my appreciation for your generosity and the warm reception extended to me this morning.

Japan has been an active development partner to schools around Fiji that lack basic educational facilities to create an equal learning opportunity for children of Fiji. In addition, the Fijian Government’s announcement to introduce School Zoning scheme makes Japan’s such assistance to schools more effective and meaningful. In view of the importance of proper classrooms in the whole learning process, I encourage everyone in this community to work collectively on the maintenance of this building to sustain its useful life for the future generations.

Since the inception of its GGP programme in 1993, Japan funded 256 projects with a total value of approximately 11.4 million US dollars around Fiji. 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 over 1 million US dollars, and among these 13 projects, nine were considered for schools around Fiji. Today’s handing-over ceremony commemorates Japan’s eleventh project in Fiji to be handed over successfully.

Finally, I believe 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 have the honour to declare the renovated and two new classrooms open to the children of Vatuwaqa Primary School. I am hopeful that this project will motivate the students of this school to excel academically and achieve success.

Thank you, Dhanyvaad and Vinaka Vaka Levu