DPM Prasad praises Matuku villagers for $300,000 school project
“Matuku has set the standard — imagine what the rest of Fiji can do,” he said.
Saturday 18 October 2025 | 23:30
Students of Matuku Secondary School perform during Matuku Day on October 10, 2025.
Inoke Rabonu
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad has praised the people of Matuku Island for raising nearly $300,000 to establish their own secondary school — calling it a “remarkable display of community unity and determination.”
Professor Prasad said the Matuku initiative stands as a model of what Fijian communities can achieve when given the freedom and support to lead their own development.
“I applaud the villagers of Matuku Island for raising nearly $300,000 to establish a secondary school — a remarkable display of community unity and determination,” he said.
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“They did this on their own initiative, long before any policy change.”
He said the community’s effort perfectly aligns with government’s new National Budget measures that allow schools and communities to fundraise more freely.
“Matuku stands as the perfect example of what empowered communities can achieve when given the space to lead,” Professor Prasad said.
He added that the initiative will bring secondary education closer to home, reduce rural–urban migration, and strengthen families, culture, and opportunity.
“Matuku has set the standard — imagine what the rest of Fiji can do,” he said.
