NCL Primary School

I took this picture of the Grade 1 teacher and part of the class at the Primary School on Fanning Island. We also visited another class and the Staff Room. The other class did not even have tables for the students. This teacher kneels on the ground in order to write on the blackboard. She was doing this when we first approached the classroom.

Each classroom is in a separate building. There are no doors to the rooms and the windows have no glass. I suspect that vandalism is not a problem here.

Since Norwegian Cruise Line started visiting the island, the local people renamed the school after the cruise line. The school even flies the NCL flag. We were told that the cruise line provides supplies and other help for the school.

If you visit Fanning Island, the school is about a mile walk from the dock used by the tenders. For my wife and I, it was well worth the time and effort. Education is important to the future generations of the Republic of Kiribati, and these students and teachers are doing their part. In the other class we visited (I think it was Grade 3), two of the students were singing a song in English for the other students.