Dateline Pacific morning edition for 21 March 2016

Transcript

Investigations are underway into a series of brawls last week in Samoa, after a school teacher was hospitalised and several students were arrested.

The brawls involved students from Avele and Saint Joseph Colleges and Don Bosco vocational training school as well as a separate brawl between students from Faleata College and the Church College of Samoa.

The principal of Avele College says the brawls were sparked by comments made on social media.

Matafeo Reupena Matafeo told Indira Moala a decision was made to temporarily close down his school last week, to protect its students and staff.

MATAFEO REUPENA MATAFEO: We are still looking for a St Joseph's student or a Don Bosco student who threw a rock and then it hit his forehead, he was unconscious for some time, but fortunately he recovered and was taken to hospital and discharged. And that is when things got hotter, because our teachers are always there every morning and every afternoon to make sure our students get on the bus and go home as soon as possible. But when that happened on Thursday, that is when some of the students started to retaliate - when one of our teachers was knocked down unconscious.

INDIRA MOALA: How many of your students were injured?

MRM: Ah it's more than seven.

IM: And your school was closed down last week temporarily?

MRM: Yeah, we closed down on Friday because I felt, personally, as principal that if one of our staff is injured then we will be expecting a worse scenario from there. So we thought it was better to close down Avele College - let them go home and the teachers come back here to school to try and discuss some other solutions to these problems.

IM: And now that you've reopened are you still concerned about the safety of your students and your staff outside of school grounds?

MRM: Yeah well this morning all our staff were down at the market - the main bus stop where the brawl started - we were there today and nothing happened and we are doing the same today, but, you know, losing classes because of this issue, we are trying to minimise that as well.

IM: So discussions with the Ministry of Education and also the police department now. How are you looking at moving forward from these incidents?

MRM: Well that's solution number one. Three of us principals, as I said, we got together today and discussed - that is the first move. Secondly, we all agreed that if any St Joseph's student would be expelled after being confirmed that he got involved in this fight, Avele College and Don Bosco are not going to accept him. Any student from Avele who will be terminated from here will not be accepted at St Joseph's or Don Bosco.

IM: Would you say that these brawls are a continuation from the past in the history of these schools?   

MRM: Well it happens to every school every year and we do believe that it's not new. It happened in the last couple of years as well and now it's coming back again and we do believe that we'll try and iron out all these differences because at the end of the day students from Avele, St Joseph's and all other schools, you know, we are all related and, yeah, it's probably just one or two who have started it and caused all these problems.