While some are picked up from their front doors every morning, 51-year-old Jone Veitarogi walks up to one-hour carrying his five-year-old son Autiko Keva on his shoulders to get to the next carrier stand.

This was how little Keva goes to school every day.

The Vaturova Koroalau Kindergarten school student received the Dux Award and was described as a very outstanding child by his class teacher last week.

His mother Selina Tabiu while talking to the Fiji Sun over a phone call said, she wakes her son at 4.30 am every morning to prepare him for school.

“At times I feel so sorry for my son seeing him early morning getting his things ready for school when it’s still dark and cold,” said Mrs Tabiu.

“They always leave home at 5 am and it will take them up to an hour to get to the carrier stand.”

Mrs Tabiu added that when her son leaves home at 5am, she will see him again at 5pm.

“Since there’s only one transport every day, Kindergarten students will have to wait at their teacher’s residence for the Primary students to finish so they can come back together,” she said.

“It is really difficult.”

“Sometimes when it’s raining heavily and there’s flood and mud, he will still go to school and my supportive husband will never say no to him,” she says.

“My boy will always tell me ‘mom, whether it’s raining, or hurricane, if it’s a school day, I will go to school’.”

“When we saw him today getting his award, I could say, he really deserves it.”

The couple was so thankful for their son’s achievement.

“I just thank the Lord for his mercy,” said Mrs Tabiu.

Little Keva will be joining Holy Cross Primary School in Taveuni next year.

Edited by Mohammed Zulfikar

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