Principal Leads Fight Against Bullying in Queen Victoria School
Queen Victoria School (QVS) is to crack down on bullying. It’s new principal Qalo Lesi confirmed this yesterday
Bullying has been a serious issue that QVS in Tailevu has had to deal with over the years. This year the school hoped to tackle and get rid of such aggressive behaviour, Mr Lesi said.
He also said he has called on all students to always work within the law.
“I cannot comment on the school’s past problems, but as the new principal I have been advising the boys to work within the law,” Mr Lesi said.
“In church and as my first message to the students, I told them not to take the law into their own hands, but to work within the boundary of the law.”
Mr Lesi said procedures and protocols were in place and the school would try its best to avoid cases of bullying and to maintain discipline this year.
“We will try our best to nip it in the bud this year and to come down hard on students so they can know the importance of brotherhood in QVS and hope we will rise and improve from last year,” he said.
Headboy Aisake Matarerega said he would work closely with the student body to tackle the issue.
He said they would use whatever they had learned in their leadership training to solve problems they faced with the students. Preaching at the 2018 induction ceremony in Tailevu yesterday, the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma general secretary Reverend Ili Vunisuwai said bullying had been an ongoing problem for the school and it questioned the moral values of the school and students. Reverend Vunisuwai said the issue also raised the question if students understood their purpose in life and in school because this would help tackle the issue.
“I question you, do you really know your purpose and understand education and the purpose of being here?,” he asked. Reverend Vunisuwai said the younger generations seemed lost and needed to understand their purpose.
“You must live with a purpose, know your purpose in school and in the world and get away from the culture of the world,” he said.
“It is sad, bullying was a problem the school faced. It questioned the moral value of those who committed such acts.”