DEAR EDITOR, in reference to the private view posted by Ulysis Glass published in your column issue no. 2909, it captures my “conscience and inner self” seriously as one of the rural based anti-prospecting advocator in Temotu Nendo.

Ulysis Glass was referring to the statement posted in Solomon Star Issue No. 6909 by a person from Temotu Nendo Island who is a Nurse by profession. Thumps up Ulysis! It’s nonsense professional like Leaders, Lawyers, Teachers, Nurses, Doctors, Police, promote destructive activities that threatens the land and biodiversity and jeopardize the innocent and vulnerable dwellers through T-Shirts, Poster, caps or in whatever kind.

We are protecting “Our Land, Our Blood, Our Identity, Our Culture, Our Future, Our Heritage” on behalf of the majority groups that are yet to apply their knowledge, skills, and gifted talents and wisdom to manage and use the Land in a sustainable approach to ensure its fertility is rich and promotes “equality” rather than “egocentric” through ages.

Readers, the people of Temotu Nendo can be categorized as High Class Inhabitants (HCI), Middle Class Inhabitants (MCI) and Third Class Inhabitants (TCI).

The HCI are the people who depend entirely on cash for their survival and basic needs, but also have 100% right to access and use their tribal land. Generally, this group of people makes up only about less than 15% the population of Temotu Nendo alone. Similarly, the MCI makes about 20% the population of the Island and they depend on both money and land for basic needs while the TCI makes about more than 65% the population of Temotu Nendo. In actual fact, the Third Class Inhabitants are dependents and mostly they are Children, youths, windows, old men/women and the disable. Actually, they must interact with their land of only about “519km2” and only a “dot” in the global perspective in earning their livelihood in terms of food, shelter, water, energy and other benefits every day.

Solomon Island citizens, the vulnerable group in terms of information, legal/ethical decision making, and survival through basic needs, especially food is the TCI. However, through much awareness that were conducted by our local scholars on volunteer basis about mining and logging issues at various Western Temotu Nendo communities and G/Bay Community, majority of the people now fully aware that the disadvantages of such activities outweigh the advantages it brings.

So, the Third Class Inhabitants that depends entirely on the land is calling for the HCI and MCI of Temotu Nendo and all responsible authorities to stand as one to fight the destructive human activity that will bring “dabi or dabwi’i” that can be equated as “hunger”. May I put some realistic views that I thought of why those in power have not seriously scrutinized the bases of their decisions, before!

1. Is there any Evacuation Bill, Evacuation Constitution, or Evacuation Act in place that permits indigenous inhabitants to migrate from their Island to Permanently Settle, Occupy, Use and Cultivate a new Land either in Solomon Islands or Foreign Country like Australia because of natural disasters like tsunami and man-made disasters like Mining?
2. Is there any Provincial Mineral Policy, Provincial Mineral Ordinance, and Provincial Mineral Board? These are important Networks or documents that will mandate the “authority” to enforce not legal decisions, but ethical decisions for the ‘common good’ of the rural and vulnerable populace – children, old women/men, window, the blind, and the disable.

Given the views, all formal professionals must be informed that though we are one of the distinction “Eagles” and “Lions”, but if “wisdom is a NEED”, we are or will tempted to use “knowledge” and “understanding” to turn “myths and assumptions” as facts. But ethical “Eagles” and “Lions” “utilize wisdom” to make decisions because some legal decision makers think that “in legal sense the decision is right”, but “the decision is wrong in ethical sense” according to ethical decision makers.

Finally, as one of the anti-prospecting volunteer who represents the vulnerable majority, I call to the responsible ministries to draw their attention very seriously to the cry of the people whose “life” continues to grow through “land” to oppose destructive developments in our happy isles called – “Temotu Nendo” in indigenous language which can be translated as “Their Island”. Literally, morally and culturally, “Temotu Nendo” or “Their Island” means “The Island is owned by Temotu Nendo Future Generations”.

GOD BLESSES “TEMOTU NENDO!”

GOD BLESSES “THEIR ISLAND!”

MZLI. Joseph

Concerned Volunteer

LATA, Temotu Province

DEAR EDITOR, schools are not dealing with teachers who are abusing many of our children who are under their care when they are in school. One of the schools in Honiara has certain teachers who abuses students in their classes by making them standing in front of the whole class and razor their hair as a form of discipline. Some of these students are children young under 10 years old. One expects that a school that is regarded as a Christian faith based school will do that. But this is happening and it is shocking.

It is more heartening, when the Head Master of that particular school did not address it although it was brought before him a couple of times. In the next issue on “teacher abuse of power in schools”, it will name the school that is mentioned in here if relevant authorities within that particular school did nothing.

In this case, this article will pay more attention to Teacher: abuse of power in classroom. Abuse of power by teachers in our schools are increasing to a level where we as parents and guidance know about it, but we are weak in addressing it because we think that teachers are disciplining our children. It is critical for us to know the difference between teacher’s abuse of power over our children and the relevant disciplinary action they take when they deal with our children.

As parents and guidance what we want to see is schools that offers our children safe learning environment that has effective and strong administration that can deal with issues and situations that may arise in their schools in an immediate and efficient manner. One of the overall means is to look at school practices against abuse by teachers in the classroom and either “writing or adjusting bullying policies to explicitly address the conduct of teachers.

If Teacher abuse is a pattern of conduct, this threatens, harms, humiliates, brings fear in or causes student’s significant emotional stress that can strip of their confidence in exceling in school.

Many of our children continue to experience abuse of power by their teachers, by making them standing in front of the whole class to shame them for very minor things. They cut student’s hair by making them standing in front of the class and just imagine how these students feel if they are under the age of 10. Teachers continue to whip their students as well as pull their ears. When teachers call students out in front of the class, it suggests that the teacher is trying to publicly shame them so this is not discipline. Teachers can also abuse children or students because student’s abilities so they may abuse or bully these students to help themselves feel good and more equal. Another thing is, teachers who are showing signs of burnout may also be at risk to be abusive of their power towards students within their school.

These are unacceptable behaviors and teachers must stop. The right thing to do is to send the student home so that parents can deal with them.

There are many other ways for a teacher to control children without embarrassing them and lowering self-confidence. For those teachers that continue to act this way, they should know that they are placing the reputation of their school at risk.

Teachers often justify their abusive actions in the classroom, giving a reason why they think it is appropriate behavior. Students often also see abusive behavior from teacher to student as just a part of a school day, causing them to normalize the behavior.

As parents and guidance, we much hold teachers accountable for anything that they do to our children that is unacceptable. There is need to observe what is happening in the school environment where our kids are. We must have the tendency to list to our children and to ask them about what is happening in their schools and about the kinds of teachers they have and the manner in which they are treating the children.

There are many schools that have empty policies regarding teacher’s conduct and that reflects schools without code of ethics. What schools need are policies that are focus on procedures to address complaints effectively about teachers who may have been abusive or seems to be abusive to children in their class.

Supervision is a critical factor for teachers and what they are doing within the classroom and how they interact with students.

Concerning teachers, they should know that, it is crucial for children to receive the best teaching. Many students see teachers as mentors, and when a teacher brings one of them down, it can hurt the student’s feelings and education terribly.

There are ways that teachers can deal students appropriately.   What teachers should have done or do is get in touch with the parents and guidance to deal with their own child rather than them dealing with the child.

In conclusion, without strong administration support, or an efficient administration team, teachers may be at risk to abuse their students. “Since the principal or Head Master is responsible for the overall tone of the school, any issues related to their performance will certainly impact teachers and, in turn, students.”

Today the Ministry of Education has a grave issue on its hands. For a very long time, abusive action by teachers has become a remote issue in many of our schools. Schools and administration are not effective in discussing and addressing appropriate and inappropriate teacher behavior, especially in the context of disciplining students”. At the same time, a lot of policies may exist in our school, however they have no protection and safety measures for our children, and therefore this has made many of our schools very dangerous for our children.

Ella Kauhue

Honiara