Tonga High School students will be moving back to their home ground on July 2, 2005, after the People's Republic of China officially handed-over a new $10 million pa'anga school campus to the Government of Tonga today.

Tonga's Minister of Education, Hon.Rev Tevita Hala Palefau, accepted the new campus from HE Mr Gao Shanhai, the Ambassador of the People...’s Republic of China , and he thanked China for rebuilding the school, and said it would forge a stronger friendship between the two governments.

The handing-over ceremony also included the signing of the Certificate of Inspection and Acceptance by Sione Taumoepeau, the Director of the Ministry of Works, and Ma Zongyao, the Project Manager for the constructors, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and the Ministry of Works.

Mr Gao Shanhai announced that the Chinese Government had again agreed to furnish the new Tonga High School buildings at a cost of $1.4 million pa'anga. The new complex, completed in March this year includes 34 classrooms, and 18 laboratories.

This enables the 1,100 Tonga High school students to finally return to their home ground after four years of studying in temporary classrooms at the old Vaiola campus, since a fire on October 1, 2000 gutted the old school.

The completion of these new buildings is just the first phase of the Tonga High School Reconstruction Project that started in October 2003. Rev. Tevita Hala Palefau said that Phase II of the project will be the construction of a gym, a sports field, an auditorium and parking lot, but it is still uncertain when it will begin.

The handing-over ceremony was completed with traditional Tongan tau'olunga performed by the students.