BY INDY MAEALASIA
STUDENTS and staff at Areatakiki Adventist Primary School in Central Guadalcanal had a reason to celebrate following the handover of a brand-new two-story classroom yesterday.
Funded through the Japan Grassroots and Human Security Project, the building valued at over $USD 700,000 will soon be hosting grade 1-6 and is a long-awaited need- better classroom for a learning-friendly environment.
Head Teacher, Darren Kent expressed his excitement at seeing the completion of the project.
“We are here together to celebrate a significant milestone: our dreams become reality. We are now witnessing, celebrating, and enjoying the amazing gift from the people of Japan…..It means a lot to us,” Kent said.
For years, Areatakiki Primary struggled to provide a conducive environment and occasionally used local materials sourced from the forest for building maintenance.
“Now the 241 students with their teachers will enjoy their brand-new classroom, “Kent said proudly.
He highlighted that better school buildings have always been a vision of past leaders and expressed his satisfaction in seeing the project come to fruition.
Kent also recognized the strong bond between the school and Japan, forged through life-changing projects like this one
“Your gift will continue to light the candle of our heart, and it will remain. I believe this is not by choice, not by power, but by the true love that’s shown through actions by the people of Japan,” he said.
Ambassador Miwa Yoshiaki emphasized that investing in such infrastructure is essential to breeding a well-educated and healthy youth population
“A well-educated generation is great for the advancement of the society, economies, and increasing the standard of living for the future,” he said.
The ambassador further reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting the Solomon Islands
Japan will continue to engage in the education field in terms of infrastructure for all sectors, territory assistance, and capacity building in the workplaces to see more healthy faces in many places of Solomon Islands, and to cultivate the collateral relationship between Japan and Solomon Islands,” he added.
