Peceli Naviticoko 
Teachers returning to serve in their own village and district are now shaping a new chapter in rural education, with the opening of the newly established Namuka Secondary School in Macuata.
All teaching staff at the school are from the Namuka district, a move that school principal Eroni Matatia says is strengthening student discipline, reinforcing cultural values, and helping teachers better understand the challenges faced by learners and their families.
He says the approach ensures education remains closely connected to family, vanua, and church values.
Matatia says sending children away from home for further education has often exposed young learners to social pressures that negatively affect their academic progress.
“We understand the situation here in the village. When parents send their children to Labasa, they sometimes pick up behaviours not taught at home, and this affects their education. Bringing the school closer allows parents and teachers to spend more time with the children, especially with the rise in drug abuse. From the village to the classroom and back to the village that is what we were looking at.”
He adds that the experience gained from teaching in urban schools is now being applied in the rural setting, as teachers work to lift education standards in Namuka and better prepare students for future choices.
Matatia says the opening of Namuka Secondary School is giving students the opportunity to learn while remaining under the care and guidance of their families and the wider community.
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