While Government is taking concrete steps to make education accessible to all Fijians, corporate firms like Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort have done their bit to complement it.

This is after the Coral Coast based property, with their community, opened the new Eddie Betts Kindergarten and a library at the Conua District School in Nadroga.

Minister for Education Mahendra Reddy applauded the Outrigger and urged the private sector co-operation in community to assist our Government in their vision of education.

“Outrigger Fiji Resort contribution to Conua District School is not new. This is one of the many projects to the community,” the minister said.

“This where we see how the private sector’s cooperation to the community is assisting the Government in education. Our Government is committed to families when it comes to Education.”

Mr Reddy said Government believed in the need to educate every Fijian to contribute to peace and stability and a prosperous Fiji.

“We want future Fiji as knowledge based, to make decision based on logic, reasoning and ability to analyse separate facts from myths and to do so we want every Fijian to be educated or at least have basic education be the foundation for decision making.

“It is quite heartening that Outrigger Fiji has chosen to invest in Education because this is where we live a lasting contribution in terms of changing overall in Fiji. Through investing in Education we will be able to uplift people out of hardship and poverty and it is the long term solution of Prosperous and improving livelihood. I want to thank the Outrigger Fiji for investing in education.”

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort general manager Peter Hopgood said: “This is what community tourism is all about! Win, win, win. A great win for the resort to be able to promote this sort of experience for our guest.”

He said the resort had embarked on such a course with their guest seven years ago.

Mr Hopgood said the Kindy was possible through AFL footballer in Australia, Eddie Betts, who arrived at the resort two years ago.

“This year he brought over 20 Adelaide Crows players and their families to work on the kindergarten project,” he said.

A returnee, Jennifer McDaniel, a widow from Omaha, Nebraska, USA collected over 2500 books from her friends and set up a new library at the school.

This was for memory of her late husband who died due to heart attack last year.

“I loved Fiji, its people and the culture and this is the only place in the world that heals my heart,” she said.

She thanked Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, and those have partnered in this quest to support educational initiative.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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