While many secondary school students around Fiji enjoy a well-deserved break, some maritime and rural schools are taking proactive steps to prepare their senior students for the future.

One such school, Vunisea Secondary School in Kadavu, organised an excursion to Viti Levu, providing students with valuable insights into educational and career pathways.

A group of 55 Year 12 and Year 13 students from the school, along with their teachers and parents, ventured on the excursion, which included a significant stop at the Fiji National University’s (FNU) Nasinu Campus.

The excursion, according to VSS Teacher, Mr Isimeli Vananalagi, aims to provide students with valuable insights into the educational and career pathways available to them and gain a head start in understanding their options.

“We believe that it is important to expose our students to the diverse range of opportunities available, both within universities and in the workforce. Hence, our excursion is planned as such. We are not only visiting institutions like FNU, but we are also exploring some of the workforces,” said Vananalagi.

“By understanding the requirements and expectations of different fields, they can make more informed choices about their studies and future careers.”

Jonacani Tukuca, the school Head Boy and Year 13 Student, expressed the significance of the excursion for rural and maritime students.

“For me and my classmates, the primary goal of this visit was to gain a better understanding of the tertiary education system,” Tukuca explained.

“One of the main challenges for rural and maritime students like us is unfamiliarity with the university environment compared to our urban counterparts. By exploring the campus and learning about the admission processes, course offerings, and career pathways, we hope to be better prepared for our transition to university next year,” Tukuca continued.

Aiming to become a Human Resources officer, Tukuca is eager to apply the insights gained from this visit to his future endeavours.

The excursion was particularly important for the school, as they would be unable to attend FNU’s Open Day in October due to their location. FNU is organising its Open Day across four of its main campuses from 3-5 October.