FijiVillage.com, 15 October 2001

Minister says corporal punishment is last resort

Education Minister, Ro Teimumu Kepa says corporal punishment has always been the last resort in the Fiji Education systems discipline policy.

Kepa says teachers are under no circumstance to strap or beat their students with only the school principal mandated to do so if all avenues of discipline had been exhausted.

Although this policy dates back to the colonial days, she could not comment just yet on whether the policy will be reviewed.

Meanwhile authorities are now dealing with an alleged incident where a school teacher used corporal punishment and seriously injuring a child in Newtown.

Follow-up: 3 April 2002: Fiji teachers upset at corporal punishment ban