Domonisavu School's Requests Power Supply
“Teachers travel all the way to Labasa to get worksheets, exam papers and other education documents printed because there is no electricity at school.
Friday 09 August 2024 | 10:33
Students of Domonisavu District School in Cakaudrove on March 23, 2024.
Electricity can make an impact and improve the lives of students and teachers of Domonisavu Primary School in Nayarabale, Cakaudrove.
The school with the enrolment of 67 students from kindergarten to class eight have not had electricity the past seven years.
The school is located 60 kilometres from Labasa town. There are five teachers teaching at DPS.
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School manager Manoa Tamaitugi said when the school was built by the community in 1960 they used kerosene lamp and later bought a generator to supply electricity.
“Thanks to the European Union in 2007 we received a big solar panel and after ten years it broke down,” Mr Tamaitugi said.
“Since 2017 we verbally requested and wrote letters to the Ministry of Education if they could provide solar panels to assist our school,” he said.
“Teachers travel all the way to Labasa to get worksheets, exam papers and other education documents printed because there is no electricity at school.
“Basically electricity will make a difference in our children’s learning that apart from a printing and photocopy machine student s can have extra classes with better lighting.
“Teachers can be assisted with better teaching aids like television, laptops and overhead. There will be wi-fi and devises can be recharged.”
Students attending DPS are from Nayarable Village, Baleyaganiga Settlement, Nayaqalevu Settlement, Tabia Settlement, Dokanaisuva Settlement and Namagala Settlement.
There are four classrooms with one library, one early childhood education, headteacher’s office and four teacher’s quarters in the school compound.
Mr Tamaitugi said parents understood that it was a rural based school but continued to ask him to get help from the Ministry of Education since other schools in urban areas were getting support from the Government.
“There is no network in the school, teachers walk up to the mountain to make mobile phone calls,” he said
“We are hopeful Government could assist us with solar panels so that the children would feel motivated to do well in school.”
When Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro was approached in Parliament yesterday, he assured that he would look into the issue and respond to it.
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