Any future disruption to the normal flow of a school term by school managements will be faced with tougher legal actions by the Courts.
School managements are reminded that Under Section 19 of the Education Act, only the Permanent Secretary for Education is empowered to close schools and nobody else.
This stern warning follows the incident at Savusavu Secondary in which the school management decided to close the school on day 1 of Term 3.
There are procedures in place and channels of communication to be followed when school managements have a grievance against a school’s operations. At no time, should such grievance be expressed in a manner that not only brings disrepute to the school but more importantly, hinders children’s enthusiasm in education.
On the same note, members of the public are also reminded that under Section 31 of the Education Act, “any person who maliciously disturbs any school or who insults or abuses any teacher in the presence or hearing of the children assembled in school or in the school grounds shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $200.00 and in default of payment to imprisonment for any period not exceeding 2 months”.
The Ministry trusts that all schools and the general public will take note of these laws and take pro-active actions to avoid unnecessary disruptions to our children’s education.
Filipe Bole
Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment.