QVS, ACS, MERIT AND MORE

Allegations that an assistant principal of Queen Victoria School ordered chillies to be rubbed on the genitals, anus and mouth of four students is yet another reminder why it was so important that merit-based appointment of a principal in the same school be upheld.

In case people have forgotten, a principal was appointed to head this school and students had gone ahead and staged protests against the principal.

Not for reasons of child abuse but because this principal was keen on improving the school’s academic standing.

If memory serves me right, the same students had hailed the assistant principal and had made the former principal out to be the villain. The allegations of chillies bring rubbed on private parts of these students is horrific, it is an allegation of child abuse and strict actions need to be taken. Kudos to the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission for highlighting this issue and providing services to parents of the four students.

Had the former principal not been removed, would something of this sort be avoided? Maybe.

This is yet another reminder why administration should not bow down to unnecessary demands where people appointed based purely on merit are demonised because they look out for the best of the institutions they have been appointed to serve rather than involving themselves in politics played out at lower levels.

Schools like QVS, Adi Cakobau School (ACS) are considered institutions. They have strong networks amongst their former students. Many times, former students get swayed by their emotions.

ACS:

Many ACS ‘Old Girls’ took to social media decrying why Fiji Sun named the school where a student gave birth in school and allegedly hid the body of the baby in a cupboard. It is alarming that almost all of the OGs were hung up over the use of school name in the headline, none were coming up with suggestions that the OGs rally together and regularly meet with current students to mentor them.

It’s all too good getting your knickers in a twist over the naming of ACS, how about you do something about it? Fiji Sun in its front page highlighted the phone numbers to call if teenagers need to talk to counsellors.

That is more than what the OGs have done since the publication of the story.