Education Day in Tonga

This Holiday is a huge celebration of all the schools showing their accomplishments as well as honouring King Tupou VI for his upcoming Coronation.  It was held in Teufaiva Stadium.  Their were thousands of people in attendance.  All around the field each school had set up booths about their school.  There were combined school bands, and students performing as to the skills they had learnt in their different schools.  The students ranged from age 8 years old and up to Vo-tech age students.  We hope the pictures following will do it justice, but it was amazing to see in person!

This is all of the students getting into position for their routine.

They are just about all there and ready.

The King and Queen arrives so the party can begin!

After the band played it moved to the side and these 3000 students from all different Government Primary Schools performed this marching routine to make the Tongan Flag.  It was amazing that this many children could all come together and everything work out perfectly to form their flag!

This next group was from a school like our Vo-Tech schools in America.  The students on the left are performing martial art moves, the students in the middle are construction students, and the students on the right are to do with audio and sound techs.  The Construction Students brought out a building in parts and proceeded to build a two story building for us.  It was amazing.

They are starting on the second story!

Now the rafters!

The roof with solar panels for power!

A little deck on the second story.

They have set up a bed, with linen, a table for two with china dishes for two and rolled out the read carpet for their guests.

Here are their guests, the Crown Prince and Princess.  As they are stepping from the pick up bed, their are men being the human stairs for them to step down.  They then proceeded to the upped level of the house and sat at the little table.

The servant is on his way up to serve them.

The band then formed again and started to play for us, as the Construction Students tore down their house, and the King and Queen proceeded on their walk around the tract to each of the school booths to greet them all.

This is the crowds to our left.

And crowds to our right.  If you look closely at the big white house in the end area, their are people sitting on top watching the program.  People everywhere!  It was a wonderful day with good friends!

"Education should be universal in its benefits, and all the world should be made better by its teachings."    BYU Studies