The Parents and Teachers Association of Queen Victoria School in Tailevu has made it clear that bullying will not be condoned within the school premises.
Association president Nemani Tuifagalele said the matter had gotten out of hand and they were awaiting the principal’s report before taking necessary action.
“I believe this is not something new to Queen Victoria School, but bullying is not tolerated at all levels,” Mr Tuifagalele said.
“We’ve handled similar cases in the past, it happens every once in a while.
“Sometimes we have to look at it from a different perspective in order to understand the situation. This is a boarding school and those who went to boarding school would understand.
“When you interpret it from a third party, you call it assault, bullying. To them, it’s sort of like a norm. Only they can understand that, but sometimes it gets out of hand when children are injured.
“That’s something we should always consider, and we constantly remind them against it.”
Mr Tuifagalele said the PTA and the school’s Board of Governors were drafting an anti-bullying policy to address the issue.
He said they were awaiting the principal’s report before due processes were completed.
“So, in the policy, there’s a proposal such as the ‘Find Another School’ (FAS) concept to be implemented for students involved in these activities.
“However, there are concerns as well that these student perpetrators are junior students and could affect their future in the learning environment.”
Mr Tuifagalele said the situation was relayed to him on Sunday and handled by three parties — the school, PTA and the Board of Governors.
“But it’s a different story altogether when the police are involved,” he said.
“This is uncalled for and we will look into this matter further.”
