THE role that the sugarcane industry played in the development of education in Nadi could best be told in the story behind the establishment of Sabeto Indian School.

Borne out of a need for a high school in the area, Sabeto Indian School was established in 1918 with funds collected from the blood, sweat and tears of about 700 canegrowers.

From very humble beginnings, the education facility developed and became the pre-eminent Sabeto College, one of the leading high schools in Nadi today.

Shyam Bal Kissun, a respected elder in the Sabeto community shared his recollections about how the school was founded and how it grew to become the institution it is today.

“There were plenty of students in the primary school because every parent residing in the vanua o Sabeto used to send their children to that school, it was near and parents saved bus fare by sending them there,” he shared.

“Students from as far as Barara in Lautoka, Wailoko, Masimasi, Nadele, Keolaiya, half of Votualevu, Waimalika and Naboutini used to attend the school.

“And because there were limited education facilities around, most of the time, the primary school was overcrowded with pupils.”

Mr Kissun said issues arose when students completed their primary education.

“When the children finished class eight, those who passed their external examinations had no choice but to venture out to Nadi Town, where the secondary schools were located.

“These were namely Nadi College, Sangam Kupuswamy Memorial College and Shri Vivekananda College.

“The committee that ran the primary school then decided to build a secondary school so that the children in Sabeto would have an opportunity to further their education right at their doorstep.”

The visionary community members of Sabeto laid the foundation of what proudly stands today as Sabeto College.

“The members of the community pitched in from their own pockets to build the secondary school.

“The primary school committee called for a general meeting and the motion of establishing a secondary school was unanimously passed. They then proceeded to the sugar mill and had a discussion with the manager.

“It was agreed at that meeting that each sugarcane farmer would offer the proceeds of a tonne of sugarcane to the committee.

“These funds became the building blocks for the secondary school in Sabeto.

“I think the cane price at the time was about $30.

“A consolidated fund was created, sorely for the purpose of building Sabeto Secondary School and the funds were administered by the Colonial Sugar Refinery.

“An agreement was drawn up between all the parties concerned, and the CSR manager used to disburse the funds to the primary school committee after each harvesting season.

“At that time, there were around 680 sugarcane farmers within the Sabeto corridor.

“The school was built and furnished because of the input by those canefarmers.

“There was no aid or grant offered by the Colonial government.

“There was nil government support, they only provided the teachers.”

Mr Kissun said the close bond between the community and the school teachers, made Sabeto Indian School, a centre for academic excellence at the time.

“The school had and continues to have qualified teachers and the school management has always been working in tandem with the school teachers.

“The relationship has always been great because everyone focuses on the key aspects of a child’s educational prowess.”

The school’s present acting principal, Shelly Chand Imran, said Sabeto College, as it is known today, was established on February 9, 1960.

“The school roll was 10 students, comprising of six boys and four girls and Dhiraj Lal was the first principal of the school,” she said.

“By the end of the same year, the total roll of the school increased to 22 students.

“From 1960 until 1970, the school roll increased to 94.

“Lots of principals came and went during that period.

“Some of them included Hari Dutt, Dip Narayan, Deo Mani Pillay and N S Verma.

“The school roll increased significantly from 1970 under S Uma Chandra’s leadership.

“During his seven-year tenure, the school roll increased to 510.

“The change of name from Sabeto Secondary School to Sabeto College was implemented from September 28, 2009.

“The same year, Year 13 and vocational studies being Automotive Engineering and Hotel and Catering commenced.”

Unfortunately, the increase in vocational studies became a necessity because of students dropping out of high school.

“The demand for vocational classes was high during those days because of the increase in low achievers and school leavers within the vicinity of Sabeto.

“The school celebrated its ‘Golden Jubilee’ in 2010, which was officiated by Mohammed Sharif of Sharif Investment Ltd on Thursday August 5, 2010.

“There was a three-day carnival held to commemorate the historic achievement.”

Although Sabeto College has stood the test of time, it was not without challenges.

The school was not spared from the wrath of Mother Nature as hurricanes Eric, Nigel and Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston caused severe structural damage to Sabeto College.

Despite the setback, Ms Imran said the school continued to be a centre for academic excellence in the community.

“Education plays an important role in enabling a person to face real life situations with adequate knowledge.

“Schools are a temple of learning and at Sabeto College, we are making our best efforts to offer quality education to all our students.”

Today, apart from serving the Sabeto community and its surrounds, Sabeto College also attracts students from as far as Votualevu.

The management board is led by Uday Narayan and includes trustees Praveen Kumar and Praneet Prakash. The school’s financial matters are handled by treasurer Rajesh Chand Raj, Niraj Singh is the secretary while Satya Narayan, Satendra Basant and Rohin Vikash are the committee members.