ReliefWeb

10th February, 2021 Students of Nuku’alofa Government Primary School celebrated the opening of three renovated classroom buildings funded by the Pacific Resilience Program (PREP), a project managed under the Ministry of MEIDECC (Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications).

The buildings have 12 classrooms which will provide over 350 students with a more comfortable learning environment.

Mrs Natalia Lātū said, “Investing in quality education through climate resilient classrooms is important, not only from a safety perspective but also from an economic and long term financial perspective.”

She noted that GPS Nuku’alofa is one of the five schools renovated under the PREP where the “substructure was sufficiently robust, to allow the existing buildings to be retrofitted and structurally strengthened”.

“This school is an excellent example, of how cost effective the repair and strengthening of existing school buildings can be, particularly for larger classroom footprints, when the original substructure has been constructed well, with good quality materials.”

The total cost of the construction was TOP 1, 275, 380.00.

CEO for Education and Training Dr Tangikina Moimoi Steen expressed her sincere gratitude to all working partners in ensuring the successful completion of the renovation.

The launch ceremony was held at the school yesterday, attended by the Minister of Education and Training Hon Hu’akavameiliku, High Commissioner to Tonga H.E. Mr Adrian Morrison, Mrs Natalia Lātū, President of the Free Church of Tonga, Rev Semisi Fonua, CEO for Education, guest, students, teachers and parents.

PREP is co-funded by the World Bank and the Australian Government which aims at strengthening early warning and preparedness; resilient investments or build back better; and financial protection against disasters.

The program includes reconstructing and repairing of school buildings that were damaged by Tropical Cyclone Gita in February 2018.

ENDS

Issued by the: Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change & Communications