Japan has agreed to fund the construction of a new classroom and hall for the Free Wesleyan Church’s primary and middle school in Kolovai, responding to growing pressure on facilities following recent disasters and population shifts.
Ambassador of Japan to Tonga, His Excellency Mr Inagaki Hisao, signed the grant agreement with the school’s PTA chairperson, Rev. Samisoni Tuiaki, under Tokyo’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects programme. The initiative supports small-scale community developments aimed at improving social wellbeing and basic human needs across developing countries.
Image: Embassy of Japan in Tonga
School leaders say enrolment has increased fourfold since the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic eruption and tsunami disrupted nearby communities, leaving the school struggling with a severe shortage of classrooms. Japan has previously provided emergency humanitarian funding and recovery support to Tonga following the 2022 disaster, including assistance for water, sanitation, health and food security through United Nations agencies.
In his keynote remarks, Ambassador Inagaki emphasised Japan’s priority of ensuring safe learning environments for young people and expressed hope the project would strengthen access to quality education in Kolovai.
Japan has a long history of grassroots educational support in Tonga, financing classroom construction and school upgrades across the country as part of broader development cooperation between the two nations.
Construction timelines and completion dates have not yet been announced, but community leaders say the new facilities are expected to ease overcrowding and support continued recovery for families affected by recent natural disasters.
