QVS principal commended for cracking down on bullying

Yesterday it felt like a new wind was blowing across Matavatucou in Tailevu. There was positive feeling in the air that for Queen Victoria School, this year will be a much better year all round.

One of the school's priorities is to crack down on bullying which has been a problem for the school in past years. It’s a problem not only common to QVS but it’s also seen in other schools.

The anti-bullying move is part of an overall programme to instil discipline, order and peace in the school.

QVS was last year in the news for the wrong reason. Some senior students got offside with the law for bullying younger students.

New principal Qalo Lesi, a former principal of John Wesley College, has called on the students to work within the law. Bullying is wrong and unacceptable. It should not be tolerated in any school in Fiji. Mr Lesi, who would not comment on what happened in the past, said he was committed to end bullying. He would do it by educating the students about the rules and the moral values that underpin what is described as acceptable behaviour at school.

His first message to the students was "don’t take the law into your own hands, and work within the boundary of the law."

Procedures and protocols are in place and the school would try its best to prevent bullying. Headboy Aisake Matarerega says he would work closely with the student body and teachers to tackle the issue.

General Secretary of the Methodist Church Reverend Ili Vunisuwai has also called on the students to know who they are and understand their purpose in life. The other important partners in this journey are the parents. They too have a moral responsibility to prepare their sons before they go to QVS.

They cannot abdicate this responsibility to the teachers. When a student arrives at the gates of the school, he should be ready to learn and study.

If bullying is happening, it is very difficult for the victims to focus and concentrate on their studies.

Mr Lesi needs the full support of all the stakeholders if his mission is to succeed.