Boys boarding schools may have to close, suggests church leader [1]
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - 21:13. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Rev. Dr Tevita Havea. Nuku'alofa, 24 July 2013.
The escalation in student violence is a major crisis for the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, its General Secretary Rev. Dr Tevita Havea said today, and suggested that closing the rival boarding schools of ‘Atele and Toloa for ten years might be a way forward for the schools and the country.
He was commenting on last week's student attack on a house at Tofoa that has left a 22-year-man in a coma and a 15 year old with serious injuries, and 147 students, ex-students and a teacher charged with offences.
"We consider it as major crisis for church and also the schools and for the country," he said. "We have now activated various school activities to see what can be done …to deal with violence in the schools.
“It’s very unfortunate that the rivalry between the two schools get to this point,” he said.
Rev. Dr Havea said that as well as the short-term solutions a long-term policy needed to be put in place and a strong team to implement these things.
Boarding schools
One problem is the boarding school, he said.
"At boarding school there are more times with friends than with parents and your teachers, and one bad influence inside in a group will create bad things. So maybe it’s time to look at boarding schools of 'Atele and Toloa and cancel boarding schools for ten years and let them live with their parents and relatives. It is some way forward, I think, but we need to think of it seriously.
"I would like to see peace and a good future for Tonga,” he said.
“But we will strive on and try to do our best to keep the school. I think we reap productive fruits from the school far more important than these incidents that happen here, so we are keeping our heads up and hoping we can pass through the storm and keep the school, and I hope the school can produce good people from Tonga in the future.”
Last week the school's principal was away in Australia with the school band, rugby team and choir, to assist in the celebrations of a sister school Newington College.
Oldest high school
Rev. Dr Havea said the rivalry between the church school Tupou College (Toloa) and the government school Tonga College ('Atele) goes right back to their inception.
“But it has escalated into a more difficult situation now.”
Tupou College, in a secluded location about half an hour's drive from Nuku'alofa, is Tonga's oldest secondary school established in 1866 by the Methodist church of Tonga and the Royal Family
"When the school started, there was nothing but the school, so that's what the church was about - running the school. All our energy, effort, and resources were put into the school and I am thinking back then it was better controlled. Whomever we put in the school must have been a good one.
“The best Tongan ministers of the church used to be the head tutors of the school, this is how important the school has been for the church. Because those who we train from these schools usually ends up in the hierarchy of our church, even in the community."
He said today the church had developed nationally and overseas, “and we have to look after the districts of Australia, New Zealand and America, so we are spreading out the resources that we have, and perhaps we are not equipped well to look after everything we are doing and it is time to review to do what we need to do best, and leave the other things to others to take it up.
“Now I wonder if [we should] let the government merge the two schools and have only one school coming together, which is Tupou College and 'Atele coming together,” he said.
Rev. Dr Tevita Havea. Nuku'alofa, 24 July 2013.