Whatever you do, you cannot hit anybody in school – Rabuka

Whatever you do, you cannot hit anybody in school. Not even if you are a prefect.

This was highlighted by the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka while speaking to the media today when asked about the incident involving nine senior students of Queen Victoria School who inflicted corporal punishment on Year 9 and 10 students.

Rabuka says he is making it clear that students must not engage in physical discipline.

He says he is responding as an old scholar and not as the Prime Minister that such practices were not a norm during his time.

He says in their time, they sort of kept it at the student level.

Rabuka encourages people to be parents, to be very strict with their children who are going to school.

He says children should be taught the right values before going to school.

The Prime Minister says his great-granddaughter, who is a class prefect, told him about the challenges she faces.

He says his response to his great-grand daughter was whatever she does she cannot hit anybody in school, not even if she is a prefect.

Rabuka says if someone’s daughter or granddaughter or grandson or son is not behaving, it should come back to them and they should be answering it right. Meanwhile, Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro has confirmed that some senior students have been sent home following yet another bullying incident where some younger students were beaten up.

Radrodro says the incident occurred when the lights went out in the boarding school hostel.

He confirms 9 students were involved - 8 students were from Year 13 and 1 student from Year 12.

The Minister says 4 were senior prefects including a house captain.

He also notes that the QVS teachers have referred all questions to the Ministry.

We have asked Police if the matter has been reported to them.

No report has been filed with the Police.

We have also asked Radrodro whether the matter has been referred to Police.

fijivillage News has also asked Radrodro for the outcome of the bullying incident at the end of last year.

Forcefully opening the wooden chest boxes of junior students of QVS to steal belongings, physical assault during the night, burning of their feet with toilet paper while they sleep, or demands for money, ranging from $10 to $15 per night, were some of the activities revealed by the School Principal in a circular regarding the unwarranted demand for food in the school dining hall.

The Principal had said this appeared to have been going for some time after 2007, though further investigation is needed to determine the exact starting year.

Timoci Vosailagi said this practice had reportedly continued daily.

He says the problem centred on an established pattern of senior students, known as "kingpins," coercing junior students, or orderlies, to provide them with meals from the dining hall.

These kingpins allegedly demanded that three meals a day be delivered to them in the hostel, bypassing the normal dining hall procedures.

Failure to comply with these demands subjects the orderlies to punishment including physical assault.

Radrodro had confirmed to fijivillage News at the end of November last year that they will need to initiate an urgent investigation that will need to involve independent officials from the Ministry and they possibly may request the assistance of the Office of the DPP given the nature of the allegations that have surfaced against some students of QVS.

Nothing has been made public since then.

Stay with us for developments.