The Suva Muslim Primary School has officially launched its Centennial Celebration with the first phase of a 100 Trees Initiative, marking 100 years of faith, education and service.
As part of the launch, the school planted its first five trees on the school grounds to begin the symbolic environmental and legacy project.
Fiji Muslim League Suva Branch Chairman, Taabish Akbar, who planted a kumquat tree to mark the beginning of the initiative, says the school was established in Samabula in 1926 and was originally known as the Masjid School.
He says the name was changed to Islamia Girls School in 1930 and the school was re-registered as Suva Muslim Primary School in 1932. It was later relocated to Nabua in 1985.
Akbar says that while Islam has recently been criticised for not prioritising girls' education, the school was initially established exclusively for girls.
He says boys were taught at home and had to help support themselves and their families, as 1926 was only a decade after the end of the indenture system.
Akbar says the school began as a masjid school because people did not have the means to purchase land or build a school.
He says people earned very little at the time but still managed to contribute towards the construction of the school, and that nothing we do today can match the sacrifices made by those early pioneers.
The 100 Trees Initiative is part of broader centennial activities aimed at honouring the school's long history while promoting environmental awareness and creating a lasting legacy for future generations.
The school says that as the trees grow over the years, they will serve as living reminders of the generations of students, teachers and families who have contributed to Suva Muslim Primary School over the past century, as well as those yet to come.
The school's centennial celebrations will be held from 19th to 22nd August.
