The Ministry of Education is indeed saddened by the action of the school management of Savusavu Secondary School in closing the school, as reported in today’s edition of the Fiji Times.
At present, the Ministry in trying to ensure that students’ education is not affected, has sought the assistance of the Solicitor General’s office for an interim injunction and the removal of the school management from the school premises to allow classes to resume. This has been granted by the Court and has been served on the school management.
Meanwhile the Ministry of Education has started an investigation on allegations leveled at the Principal of the school.
It must be noted that under the Education Act, only the Permanent Secretary for Education is empowered to close schools and nobody else.
The ignorance of the law regarding the opening and closure of schools by school managements is of grave concern to the Ministry of Education. Children and teachers are unnecessarily victimized by such ignorance.
Filipe Bole
Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment.