Access to safe, disaster-resilient classroom infrastructure is essential for supporting foundational learning across the Pacific ¹. In Fiji, primary education attendance is high at roughly 98%, reflecting a deep community commitment to keeping young students in school ². However, data from UNICEF and the Fijian Ministry of Education reveals that over 2,100 primary school classrooms nationwide exceed standard capacity limits, while public infrastructure funds remain heavily stretched ³ ⁴. When structural failures or climate impacts affect existing facilities, local schools are often forced to improvise temporary spaces that lack proper safety approvals and climate resilience.
In local Fijian island communities, extreme weather and shifting terrain present constant challenges to school facilities. At one local primary school, inadequate foundational support caused a three-classroom block to gradually slide down a steep incline, forcing an emergency evacuation of three entire classes. To avoid meeting outdoors, students were relocated into the school library and into makeshift temporary structures squeezed between two existing buildings. Constructed from loose, unanchored materials and topped with unstable tarps, these unapproved shelters expose children to extreme heat and pose serious dangers during frequent high-wind events. Making matters more urgent, this campus is designated as the official high-elevation emergency shelter for seven surrounding villages during seasonal flooding and tropical storms, yet currently lacks the physical capacity to safely shelter community members.
Alongside local builders, school leaders, and community partners, HXP Builders will construct a new, permanently anchored multi-classroom building designed with reinforced foundations and climate-resilient engineering. This project moves students out of dangerous, unapproved shelters and back into bright, secure, and well-ventilated classrooms. Beyond supporting daily education, the new structure strengthens the school’s capacity to serve as a safe, dependable evacuation hub for seven neighboring villages during natural disasters.
Sources
¹ UNICEF – Fiji Education Profile: Infrastructure, Equity, and Climate Resilience
² Ministry of Education, Fiji – Annual Infrastructure Report & Classroom Capacity Overview
³ The Fiji Times – Over 2,100 Primary School Classes in Fiji Exceed Standard Student Ratios
⁴ World Bank Group – Pacific Resilience Program: Disaster Risk Management & Educational Facilities in Fiji