Samoa - Don Bosco Technical Centre takes tough stance on bullying -

Samoa – Don Bosco Technical Centre takes tough stance on bullying

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

The director of Catholic Education in Samoa says inter-school fighting is one of the reasons for taking a tougher stance on bullying.

Prefects at Don Bosco, a Catholic technical institution, finished a six-day suspension on Friday after an assault on a fellow student last week for which they all claimed responsibility.

Nearly all of the school’s Year Four, 35 students, walked out in protest at the punishment handed to the prefects and they too were given suspensions of six days.

Aeau Chris Hazelman says the link between bullying and inter-school brawls in public places was identified several years ago and is why bullies are dealt with more harshly now.

He says class leaders in Catholic schools are told that under no circumstances are they to lay a hand on students and suspension or expulsion are the penalities for bullying.

Don Bosco Technical Centre is a Catholic technical school offering technical education and vocation training for 350 young men aged 16 – 20 years . The Centre, which is situated on the outskirts of Apia, the capital of Samoa, caters for students who have not previously experienced educational success, providing the opportunity for them to learn a trade through ‘hands-on’ experience.

Don Bosco Technical Centre also provides a teacher training course for young men and women who are training to be teachers in technical institutes.

Watch Video of President Obama & the First Lady: Conference on Bullying Prevention at the White House

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