The million tala school hall at Avele College was officially opened on Friday thanks to funding from the Government of Japan and fundraising by students, their parents, and ex-scholars.

The project was funded under the Embassy of Japan's Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects alongside the Parents and Teachers Association, totalling $1.28 million.

A $611,000 grant was given by the Embassy of Japan. The additional cost was covered by the school's Parents and Teachers committee.

The school hall houses a kitchen, an office, and a toilet block.

Acting Prime Minister Tuala Tevaga Ponifasio in his keynote address conveyed gratitude to Japan for their continuous support.

“It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge Japan's support for the education sector in Samoa," Tuala said.

"May this building provide a foundation for education for Samoan's future generations and be of great use to our current students."

Japan's Ambassador to Samoa Senta Keisuke articulated gratitude for the successful completion of this project culminating with Friday’s official opening. 

"I hope that all of the kids will be inspired to prioritise their education by this new building, as it shall serve as the catalyst beneath all of their future aspirations,” he said.

"Education is needless to say, one of the important sectors for the socio-economic development of this country and Japan has been assisting this sector, through reconstructing and upgrading school facilities and dispatching experts, particularly in the fields of science and mathematics."

Mr. Keisuke said Japan supported development efforts in communities of Samoa in the fields of basic human needs such as healthcare and education and had approved more than 300 projects since 1991.

"Without your enthusiasm and efforts, this project would not have been achieved so successfully," he said.

Mr Keisuke also presented gifts to the the school which he hopes would be kept in the library and indicated that they were books written by his former teacher.

"These are picture books written and drawn by my former teacher who taught my class when I was 12. My teacher, Ms. Hiroko Hitaka, kindly sent me the books and asked me to share them with Samoan students," he said.

"Four of these books are bilingual books written in Japanese and English, and two are in Japanese.  Although these books are intended for younger pupils than you, please enjoy looking at the pictures and reading English texts. 

"If you are interested in strange characters in these books, you may wish to start studying the Japanese language. We are always happy to assist you. I hope you like the books."

President of the Parents and Teachers Association at Avele College, Tagaloatele Papali'I Poloa, stated that although the project had been discussed since 2016, facilitating was the main obstacle to its completion. 

The support of the Japanese government and parents contributed to the project's success.

Tagaloatele said even with the inauguration of the new hall, the school still owed $200,000 to the contractor.

“Given the increasing enrolment at Avele, this initiative is a significant achievement in increasing the probability of providing students a good learning environment and experience,” he said.

“Before it was not a problem because the number of students would usually range from 300 – 500 students, but currently there are almost 1000 students at Avele College."

The school was established by 24 teachers in 1923 and officially opened in June 1923. Originally, an agricultural school and an all-boys institution until 1996, when the enrolment of girls was welcomed.