Beulah College celebrated 125 years of Adventist education in Tonga with the opening of a new building funded by former students.
The Form 7 building consists of a classroom, a study, a teacher’s office, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Tonga Ex-students president Lui Aho expressed his thanks to all the former students of Beulah College, both locally and overseas, for their support in raising the Tongan pa’anga 245,430 (about US$103,000) needed to fund the building.
The guest of honor at the opening was Tonga Mission president Fanueli Mataele. A freewill offering collected during the opening ceremony will go toward the ongoing needs of the school.
“It is a great honor to witness the great support from our ex-students,” college principal Lemani Matui said.
“On behalf of the school, we would like to say thank you so much for all that you do to help provide the best learning environment we can give our children for now and for eternity.”
At the same time, Beulah Adventist Primary School in Tonga has received a gold medal award for being an outstanding health-promoting school.
According to government officials, the criteria for the award were the level of wellbeing, water, sanitation, hygiene, movement and fitness, and healthy eating at the school.
“I would like to thank all those who have contributed to enable us to reach this milestone,” Beulah principal Melefatai Fukofuka said.
Recent projects at the school have included a new canteen, playground, vegetable garden, and additional bathroom facilities.
Fukofuka said teachers had noticed some significant positive changes in the students: they are more punctual, have no absenteeism or bullying, and are more active in their learning.
Beulah College is a coeducational Adventist secondary school in Tongatapu, Tonga, established in 1938. According to the Adventist Church’s Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research, there are 16 Adventist congregations in Tonga, with a baptized membership of 3,878 as of June 30, 2021, a ratio of one Adventist member per 26 residents in a population of 99,000.