Nubunikavula village - and - while you were sleeping

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At the end o the road out of Labasa lies a delightful village called Nubunikavula where the people work on the hillsides with the root crops and even the sugar cane reaches nearby.  I once went there to collect Fijians songs and chants and the people were very hospitable.  Today I read about their children having to walk a long way to catch a bus for school or vocational study. So while you lot in other parts of Fiji take it for granted that transport is available, these ones get fit by their one hour walk each way each day!

Long walk to school

Salaseini Vosamana
Saturday, November 03, 2012

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Early morning walk ... children of Nubunikavula Village in Macuata make their way to the main road in Vunicuicui to wait for the bus. Picture: Salaseini Vosamana

WHILE some are still tucked away in bed enjoying their sleep, students of Nubunikavula Village in Macuata brave the cold as early as 4am to prepare themselves for another school day.

Since daylight saving started last month, students leave the village at 4:45am to walk for about two and half kilometres to the nearest bus stop to catch the 6am bus to school.

While it is perceived to be a challenging practice, parents have not grown weary of walking their children in the dark as they struggle to provide education for them.

Vocational student Ulamila Dimaitaveuni, 18, said it was really difficult for her to walk every morning because she usually felt sleepy in class.

"This has been a practice for me in the past seven years and it's normal to me since there is no transport in the village to take us to school," she said.

"I only wish that relevant authorities look into our plight and help us as most of us have dropped out from school because they can't take it anymore."

Village headman Timoci Kalouvou said it was a trend for them to walk their children every morning because hardly any transport was available in the area.

"Even kindergarten and Class One students in the village have to walk for at least one hour to reach the bus stop and this is the case every school day," he said.