Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says while the effects of COVID-19 has put a tremendous strain on government revenues, they believe that education is the greatest investment. [Source: Youtube]

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says while the effects of COVID-19 has put a tremendous strain on government revenues, they believe that education is the greatest investment.

He made the comments while opening the new teacher’s quarters at Tailevu North College.

Bainimarama says they’ve thought carefully about every dollar spent and in a way, this crisis has revealed where the Government’s greatest priorities lie.

He says they have not cut the salaries of any civil servant, including teachers and neither have they removed free education, free textbooks, or subsidized transportation to school.

Bainimarama says education is usually seen as a long-term investment; something that pays off returns a generation on from now as young people grow up and apply their knowledge throughout their careers.

He says with the opening of the new quarters, teachers will now live comfortably.

“No teacher should spend their days making long, difficult treks just to get to work. Your community has seen how unreliable that can be. On days with heavy rains, your teachers could find themselves stranded on the wrong side of floods affecting the Nausori and Korovou highways. But reports or rain shouldn’t determine whether or not a class at the Tailevu North College is in session. So, we’ve built these new quarters to give your teachers a home on this campus, making each of them full members of the Tailevu North College community.”

Over half-a-million-dollars has been invested in the new teacher’s quarters.