School children in Tonga will receive a gift of pencils containing seeds that can be planted after the pencil is used-up.

The 10,000 pencils made from recycled paper have been donated to school children in Tonga by Queen Nanasipau’u on 20 January.

The King's Private Secretary, Sione Fifita, handed over the plantable pencils to the Acting CEO of the Ministry of Education, 'Isikeli Oko at the Fa’onelua Convention Centre. They will be distributed to schools in all island groups.

“Seeds on pencils are tomatoes, chilli and mustard. The name of the seed is labelled on each pencil,” he said.

The Palace Office in Nuku’alofa stated that during the visit of Queen Nanasipau’u to the United Arab Emirates, she visited an artisan factory and was shown pencils made from recycled paper, which also included at the tips a seed that the user could plant the seed once the pencil had been used.

"Her Majesty recognized the value of the pencils as a teaching tool for the children of Tonga. The pencils would not only be a tool for the children’s schoolwork but also send the important message of recycling as well as the seed on the tip of the pencil being used to expose children to agriculture and how food is grown from one seed."

King Tupou VI chose three of the United Nations sustainable development goals to be inscribed on the pencils to highlight to the children the importance of these goals and the relevance to their lives in Tonga.

The chosen goals are: to End Poverty, Ensure Prosperity and Protect the Planet.

Sue ‘Akau’ola, Managing Director of Kingdom Travel, sponsored the 10,000 special pencils for the Queen to donate to the school children of Tonga.