EDITORIAL COMMENT – Student discipline and safety!

The revelation that bus services for students and schools participating in the athletics zone meets and the Fiji Finals could be grounded if students continue to behave badly on buses is cause for concern.A few years ago videos went viral of students actually shaking a bus after such a meet. It was dangerous.

It looked scary and there were many questions asked about prevention, and action to be taken.Now there appears to have been another video uploaded about a similar incident involving students again shaking a bus.Why are they even doing that? Understandably the events leading up to the annual Fiji Secondary Schools Athletics Finals attracts so much attention.



It drives emotions. There is an attachment to the event, and to the schools participating in them.It is a schools’ thing that has even embraced the attention of old scholars who are actively involved in preparations for such events.

However, we still wonder why bad behaviour has extended to buses? Are students no longer afraid of repercussions?Why are they so confident in this age of instant videos that could easily identify them, and obviously put them in trouble?Is there a connection to something worse?A couple of issues will pop up, including indiscipline, ignorance of the laws that govern us, and common sense, especially when it comes to considering what could be dangerous and even life threatening!Shaking a bus, to the verge of seeing it tumble over is scary. Yet no one seems to care anymore. Well until Land Transport Authority chief executive officer Irimaia Rokosawa voiced his concern.

Following a viral video of students in Nadi misbehaving in a bus earlier this week, he expressed concern and the LTA has been in talks with bus companies to stop services if this behaviour continues.This was raised by bus companies last year, he said.“We have time and again raised their concerns with schools, students and parents,” said Mr Rokosawa.

The safety and the life of the bus driver was often not considered, he said.So now the warning is out. Discussions are now on with bus companies to stop servicing schools that have students behaving in such a manner.

That’s pretty extreme! However, there is some sense in the proposed action.This, however, leaves us with students who had nothing to do with such behaviour and are being penalised unnecessarily.We say there has to be awareness at every level, from the school to the communities and to the families.

We need to be talking about this. We need to be taking action to safe guard our children. And we need them to have confidence in the service provided by bus companies around the country.

In saying that, we need schools to reinforce the importance of safety, respect and accountability among their students. We need communities to nurture an environment where proper conduct is the norm, and we look to families to guide their children to understand the consequences of their actions.Let’s fight reckless behaviour!Stopping bus services is extreme! However, it raises the level of attention on an issue that is quite serious.

The passion and excitement we have for sports events like the Fiji Finals should not be connected to something as dangerous and disruptive as what we have been discussing here!The post EDITORIAL COMMENT – Student discipline and safety! appeared first on The Fiji Times..