Hub to help students
THE newly-established Eastern Student Support Services Hub will provide over 2000 students in the Eastern Division with the opportunity to access decentralised counselling services.
Minister for Education Viliame Gavoka opened the hub at Levuka Public School last week, which is the fourth such hub in the country.
The Australian Government provided financial and technical support in setting up the facility.
In his remarks, Mr Gavoka highlighted the importance of having such services, as the Eastern Division had been hit hard by natural disasters, COVID-19 pandemic, and socioeconomic issues.
As per the Substance Abuse Advisory Council, over 1599 students accessed counselling between 2020 to 2023.
Last year, 359 students accessed counselling services, of which 243 were males and 116 females. Of this number, 66 students were from primary school and 293 from secondary schools.
The minister stated the most common presenting problems included violent behaviour towards others, drug intake at school, sex-related offences, mental health, and other negative behaviour arising from social media use.
“The Ministry of Education is committed to posting a full-time counsellor to this hub to handle serious referral cases for schools in Ovalau and nearby islands in Lomaiviti,” he said.
“With the absence of corporal punishment in schools, the ministry is strengthening the provision of counselling services to the students to help them address their own problems with the support of their parents and teachers.”