Teachers have the right to keep students out of class

Teachers have the right to keep students out of class if they arrive late to school.

This is according to the Ministry of Education after Fijivillage raised the issue that some students who arrive even 5 minutes late to school, are given detention or told to stay outside the classroom by teachers which leads to them missing out on the lessons taught.

A Suva school keeps the late students out for two full periods and they are required to pick up rubbish.

Principal Education Officer Tomasi Raiyawa said all schools have a behavioral management policy where issues such as this are dealt with and detention could be one of the ways.

But Raiyawa stressed that teachers are also required to update the students on the lessons they had missed out on.