Elections Office Steps In To Help Students

The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) has stepped in to help improve the standard of ed­ucation in Fiji.

The office, on Friday, donated some equipment used in the 2018 General Election to the Ministry of Education.

Items donated to be used in schools included 224 laptops, 91 printers, 558 toners and drums, 400 blue plastic storage contain­ers, 1104 reams of A4 paper, 176 reams of A3 paper, and other basic school stationery.

FEO director of Corporate Ser­vices Sanjeshwar Ram said the items were surplus, and if kept for the next election, would not be in usable conditions.

“It is prudent for us to donate, and for the schools to make use of them,” he said.

“The Ministry of Education would be the best option, and it would be able to distribute them to respective schools. There are items that we can’t keep for four years, which is why we are donat­ing the items. We have some items with us that will be used for the next general election, and when there is a need at that point in time, we will make purchases.”

Acting Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa said education was becoming an increasingly important determinant of living standards.

“Education equips us to make quality decisions for our com­munities and our nation. Educa­tion has become a necessity for individual growth, success, and nation-building,” Ms Mataiciwa said.

“To ensure that our children re­ceive quality education, it is im­portant that we actively partici­pate in their learning.”

Ministry of Education deputy secretary of Corporate Services Edwin Kumar said the items would be put to good use.

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