Lae suspends school classes

Main Stories, National
Source:

The National, Wednesday 29th May 2013

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

CLASSES in two Lae schools have been suspended indefinitely following the killing of a student and the injuring of another during an inter-school fight on Monday.

Morobe provincial education adviser Murika Bihoro said yesterday classes had to be suspended for the safety and security of students. 

The fight was between male students from the Bugandi Secondary and Lae Secondary schools. 

Armed police prevented the fight from developing further after the two students were shot. One died. 

Police in Lae are investigating who shot the students.

Students from Bugandi claimed that some of them were attacked by a group from Lae Secondary last Saturday. 

They then organised a protest march to the Lae Secondary on Monday morning which ended up in the fight. Parents of students attending the two schools have been told that classes would resume after the situation was resolved.  

“The tension is high because relatives of the deceased may find it difficult to accept his death,” Bihoro said.

He said security of the students, particularly of those attending Lae Secondary School, could not be guaranteed because relatives of the dead student could attack any student from the school.

“It will not happen in the school but while they are outside,” Bihoro said. 

He said he was looking into the reports on the incident and would forward them to the provincial administrator and police. Those involved in the fight would be referred to police.

Bihoro said parents of students attending both schools would be asked to attend meetings to resolve the matter before it got out of hand.

A father from Bena in Eastern Highlands, whose son is in Grade 12 at Lae Secondary, said he was told by school management that the resumption of classes would be broadcast on radio.

 “This is an important term for Grade 12 students. How can he catch up with his studies when he goes back?” he said.