Labasa College and short pants

from w
They are not talking about the students wearing a sulu vakatoga which is the informal colourful one, that tends to fall down, but the neat formal sulu vakataga which usually has pockets!

Once upon a time Brij Lal was a student there and no doubt he wore short pants and not a sulu. It is interesting though that these days some of Fiji Indian students prefer to wear a sulu in the hot weather BUT the Principal says no to that - thus keeping up the stereotype that only Fijians wear sulus. Well, certainly everyone wears the casual sulu vakatoga, though not the sulu vakataga which is more formal. A sulu for boys looks fine and I think Fiji school uniforms should provide a few options. Now, what if the girls want to wear pants? Would that be allowed? In Australian high schools there are usually uniforms but there are several options to choose from and many girls wear long pants for comfort in cold weather.

Sulu uproar
Theresa Ralogaivau
Saturday, February 06, 2010
"School directs boys to wear shorts"
FRUSTRATIONS are brewing amongst ethnic Indian students at two major secondary schools in Labasa after they were not allowed to wear sulu vakataga. At Labasa College, the school policy is that ethnic Indian boys are not allowed to wear sulu because it is not their tradition. Principal Brij Mohan confirmed that Indian boys must wear shorts but are given Friday's to express their multi-cultural sense by donning a sulu vakataga.

Several parents and students whom the Fiji Times spoke to preferred anonymity for fear of repercussions. but said the rule was discriminatory and segregating, bordering on racism.

"We know that the State is advocating the uniting of races and this kind of rule just works against that policy," a parent said.

Filipe Bole, who heads the Education Ministry, said students had the right to choose what uniform to wear. He said schools should not force students to wear shorts only.
However Mr Mohan said the rule at Labasa College had existed for decades but was not enforced until recently. "At Labasa College we are encouraging students to keep their traditional wear," he said. "The rule hasn't really been challenged by any student when we enforced it again. We had a Muslim student who said he needed to cover his knee as part of his tradition but we know that is unfair on other Muslim students who have not requested the same thing."

Several students of Sangam College who also preferred anonymity said that they were forbidden from wearing sulu in school because of their culture.The photos show some school students, including one of Labasa Sangam students (not Labasa College which is different) a vavalagi wearing a sulu, police in uniform which includes an Indian policeman wearing a sulu.-----------Here is a response.
Letter to the Editor Fiji Times
Sulu rule
THANK you Theresa Ralogaivau for your report on the "sulu rule" at Labasa College and Sangam College. Principal Brij Mohan's excuse that the rule has "existed for decades" is questionable. Less than two decades ago most Indian boys would not have even dreamt of wearing a sulu. If the rule did exist before then it was most likely in place to accommodate the differences in culture rather than segregate them. It is my guess that the old rule would have stated that Fijian boys may wear sulu if they wish but not necessarily that Indian boys may not.

Furthermore, trousers are not traditional Indian attire, and the sulu is actually an adoption by Pacific Islanders at the behest of missionaries for reasons we will not bother go into here.

If traditional cultural attire is to be worn then surely the Indian boys would be required to come to school in a dhoti or similar garb.

Be that as it may, the argument here is that while a school may have a specific dress code that must be followed, it cannot and should not impose what is basically a restriction on cultural intergration amongst our next generation by incorporating within that dress code any other extra restrictions such as the sulu rule.

To Mr Mohan, I would suggest that the youth of today are representatives of a new and enlightened era that is emerging in this country we love and call "Fiji" (not India, or Great Britain or any other such name). Is it such a bad thing if our children are not necessarily like us?
DGM Robinson
Labasa

St Mary's Hostel Labasa

Father Api in front of St Mary's Hostel. from w
So it seems that St Mary's hostel, run by the Anglican Church in Labasa, is still going despite the trouble last year when floods did some damage and there was talk of closing it down. It does provide an important service to give accommodation for girls who are studying in Labasa. Once upon a time the land where St Mary's hostel stands, was owned by Peceli's father and he gave it to the Anglicans before he died in the 1940s. The land is low-lying and once there were little streams and plenty of crabs and fish to catch. Now it's part of Labasa township - which is still low-lying as we all know! I wonder if anywone has done some data collecting on the difference between students living at home and those living in hostels -such as Lelean, ACS, QVS, and others. Do the girls and boys do better at school if they are in a hostel environment during school terms?

Here is a piece from one of the Fiji newspapers a week or so ago.

‘Hostel life is challenging’
1/31/2010
Hostel life is different from living at home. Students life in hostels or boarders do routine daily chores. They follow timetables. They have a time to wake up, have breakfast, lunch and dinner, bed time and even study time. Times are even programme when they are allowed to meet relatives. For a group of girls in the North who leave their homes in rural areas to study in urban schools, hostel life is challenging. They are taught to be independent because they live far from their parents. This includes 25 girls at an Anglican Church girls hostel in Labasa called the Saint Mary’s Hostel.

For new boarders, the start of the hostel life will take time to adapt. Some will be homesick because it is the first time they are far away from their parents. Sixteen-year-old Nunia Savu of Wainika, Cakaudrove said like most girls, the first weekend away from home was the toughest. But as days go by, they learn to adapt to the environment and hostel rules and easily make friends. Her second year at the hostel is a challenging one as she prepares for her Fiji School Leaving Certificate Examination. Savu said most of them opted to stay at the hostel because of time allocated for studies.

Labasa Arya Secondary School student, Maraya Bradburg said mingling with friends made her forget about how much she missed home. The Seaqaqa lass aims to pass with good marks this year to impress her parents. She is the eldest in her family.

Paulini Dilelekula of Naivaka Village, Bua said her parents struggled to put her in school for her own benefit. “I will not betray their trust and will work hard in school to make them happy,” she said.

Hostel matron, Mariana Fong Toy says the girls are given all the love and care away from the comforts of their homes. Mrs Fong Toy said accommodation provided at the hostel was for all races and religions and most girls form the best friendship during the duration of their stay.

Farewell to a friend of Koroipita

from w
A fine gentleman, Barry Bell from Geelong, Australia, was such a friend of Fiji, with his inspiring Donation in Kind work, especially for the development of Koroipita, the new village named after Peter Drysdale of Lautoka. Today Peceli and I attended Barry Bell's funeral at St Mary's Basilica with over 700 other people to pay tribute to an outstanding life of commitment to family, community, overseas projects in the South Pacific, and indigenous projects within Australia. It was a beautiful service, with singing of 'I have a dream' (there's a line that goes - something good in everything I see - what optimism!) 'What a wonderful world' and hymns. Afterwards we went to the Truffleduck Reception Centre for food and drink and to view an exhibition of Barry Bell's watercolours which are optimistic and showing our beautiful Corio Bay and nearby places. We knew Barry mainly through Rotary projects to Fiji and Donation in Kind. He was an intelligent but humble man with a vision that humanity can be served by helping others, sending practical gifts in containers, by working alongside strangers to put up houses, kindergartens, water projects. Emails were read this afternoon from Peter Drysdale and from people from the island of Yanuca off Deuba where a rest house had been built for the people coming and going on the outboard boats. Vinaka vakalevu Barry for a fine life of compassion and service for others.

Is talking better than silence?

from w
The official relationship between Fiji and Australia is troublesome when we remember how it used to be. At least talking is better than silence and mulling over disagreements from a distance.

From the ABC Radio
MARK COLVIN: Australia has waived its travel ban against a senior member of Fiji's military-led Government. Fiji's Foreign Minister will now be able to travel to Canberra for talks tonight aimed at restoring frayed diplomatic ties.

Tit-for-tat expulsions late last year marked a low point in relations with the regime of Commodore Frank Bainimarama. Now, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola is in Canberra for what are billed as private talks with Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and their New Zealand counterpart, Murray McCully.

From Canberra, Radio Australia's Linda Mottram reports.

LINDA MOTTRAM: The downward spiral in relations between Australia and New Zealand on the one hand and Fiji on the other, hit a new low last November. That's when Fiji expelled the two countries' high commissioners, over allegations of interference in Fiji's appointment of judges, and Australia and New Zealand reciprocated, denying the claims.

It left particularly New Zealand with its strong ties to Fiji, but normally small diplomatic presence there, virtually unable to carry out vital consular tasks. Now, there's an attempt to get diplomatic ties back on track.

STEPHEN SMITH: Interim Fiji Foreign Minister Kubuabola will meet in Canberra with Minister McCully and I to discuss these diplomatic issues.

LINDA MOTTRAM: Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith announcing the planned private meeting in Canberra, after he'd held a round of regular bilateral talks with New Zealand's Murray McCully. To make the private meeting happen, Mr Smith waived Australia's travel ban that applies to members of the Bainimarama regime as part of the sanctions imposed over the December 2006 coup, and continuing suspension of democracy in Fiji.

And both Murray McCully and Stephen Smith are emphatic the meeting in no way represents a change in their hardline views on Fijian coup politics.

STEPHEN SMITH: We are not proposing to discuss those matters which go to the Pacific Islands Forum's decisions in respect of Fiji, nor indeed the Commonwealth's decisions in respect of Fiji but to see if it is possible to put the formal diplomatic relationship between Australia and Fiji and New Zealand and Fiji onto a better footing.

LINDA MOTTRAM: Having had now a total of three heads of mission sent home by Fiji, New Zealand is particularly anxious. And just before Christmas Mr McCully flew to Nadi to meet Foreign Minister Kubuabola to try to make some headway.

They agreed to reinstate a consular position in their respective high commissions. But the nominee from Fiji was provocative some say, in key Bainimarama offsider Colonel Neumi Leweni, who's also on the Australian and New Zealand travel bans list. Murray McCully refers to him simply as an alleged nomination.

MURRAY MCCULLY: We don't discuss proposed diplomatic appointments.

LINDA MOTTRAM: As to what might be achieved by the meeting with Foreign minister Kubuabola in Canberra, Mr McCully spelled out a quite fundamental obstacle.

MURRAY MCCULLY: We need to get to a point with Fiji where we can maintain missions regardless of serious disagreements we have about matters of strongly held principle. And that is not something that is accepted yet. We are going to have to spend some time trying to get to that point.

LINDA MOTTRAM: Stephen Smith was also keeping expectations low. The significance of the meeting was that there was to be a meeting. A decision to have another meeting would be regarded as progress. So he saw no quick prospect of restoring full diplomatic ties.

STEPHEN SMITH: I think a lot of water will need to go under the bridge before those respective high commissioners can be reinstated.

LINDA MOTTRAM: Fergus Hanson from the Sydney think tank the Lowy Institute for International Policy met with Foreign Minister Kubuabola two weeks ago in Suva.

FERGUS HANSON: The sense that I got was that they were interested in restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries and that an approach of conflict wasn't in either side's interest. And I think also obviously they were very keen to get a softening in some of the sanctions that have been leveraged against the regime.

LINDA MOTTRAM: Other observers though say the Fiji Foreign Minister carries little weight in the Bainimarama regime and they caution Australia and New Zealand not to give anything to Fiji that could be used to legitimise the regime.

MARK COLVIN: Linda Mottram.

Some babasiga family

from w
Here are some of Rick's photos when he was in the Labasa/Mali area last year when Peceli showed him around. Some are of the children of Vatuadova but also includes pictures of Sera, Uncle Samisoni and Peceli in borrowed clothes going o a church.

While the tennis final was on

from w
At the home of a Fijian family in Melbourne, I watched the mixed doubles final of the tennis while attending to a cute little four-month-old boy. He joined the kava circle of his grandfather for a while, then his grandmother on the sofa. How relaxed babies can be, without fears of the world, content and confident with their families. I think he will be a rugby or soccer player later on judging by his large feet!

After the Fijian church service at Altona Meadows/Laverton at 1 p.m. it's usual to have a delicious shared meal together and then drive to the home of one of the families to relax, share stories - or even talk about the sermon - around a kava bowl, or in my case, watch the TV and yarn with the women of the house. The tennis final was interesting - though I don't watch doubles much - as an Indian professional player Leander Paes from Calcutta and his partner from Zimbabwe won. There is an extensive document on Leander in wikipedia, though I'd never heard of him before. Tonight's final singles game between the Scot, Murray, is with Federer, and I guess that Federer will never lose his cool and will win.

Sunglasses and cataracts

from w
It was good to read that screening has been done in Labasa to check the eyes of some of the people. A large number were found to have cataracts so there will have to be some publicity, more than just one article in the paper, to help with the prevention. Labasa is a hot sunny place and sunglasses may be part of the solution.
From Fiji Times today: (I can't read Fiji Sun news items today - something else pops up instead - pity as Fiji Sun usually has a few stories from Labasa each day.)
Sunglass prevention
Thursday, January 28, 2010

SUNGLASSES are more than just a fashion statement and should be treated as tools in preventing cataracts the leading cause of blindness in Fiji. Of 3000 people surveyed in Labasa through the Sight First Project of the Lions Club in 2009, 525 suffered from cataracts, some of whom were given eyeglasses while 89 underwent surgery. Sight First project manager Roshan Lal said a program would be carried out in the division urging people to wear sunglasses.

Medical authorities say exposure to the sun's ultra violet rays is a cause of cataract, an optical condition in which the lens of the eye hardens and becomes opaque leading to blindness. Labasa Hospital Eye Department head Dr Sandeep Nakhate said cataracts were a major problem in Fiji. "Fifty per cent of blind people I attend to are blind because of cataracts," Dr Nakhate said. "If untreated, as is the case in rural areas, it could to blindness."

Dr Kishore Kumar of the Labasa Optica Clinic said awareness was needed in rural areas where people treated sun glasses as an unnecessary piece of cosmetic.

"The general attitude is that sunglasses are accessories, for those that are fashionable, therefore one can do without it," Dr Kumar said. "But it's necessary considering the hot sun we have here everyday in the north. However, sunglasses must be genuine UV ones that can protect the eyes. This is a factor that we can control to prevent cataracts because once a person has it, it will take its course and cause blindness unless corrective surgery is taken."

Corrective surgery involves implanting an artificial lens into the diseased eye. Dr Nakhate said although cataracts could also be hereditary, and caused by other factors like diabetes and aging, sunglasses help control the UV ray factor.

Free school books arrive in Labasa

from w
It was nice to see a little video from the Fiji TV today that many boxes of school books have arrived in Labasa to be distributed to the many primary schools in the region. The donation of free books from the Ministry of Education is an excellent move and a great practical idea to help the youngsters of Fiji. I wonder though about what kind of books they are, because whoever chooses the books defines the syllabus material. Perhaps it's all 'top-to-down' anyway in Fiji curricula - all spelt out from the Minister rather than designed from each rural school. Are there any Art or Music or Physical Education books I wonder - as these areas in the school syllabus are just as important as readin', writin', and 'rithmatic!

We still send hundreds of boxes of books from Geelong to the South Pacific and South East Asia from Donation in Kind, the Rotary organisation. This morning Peceli and I did some sorting and boxing though most of the volunteers start again next week. Unfortunately we throw out numerous $50 beautiful books (of Form 6 level - Psychology, Business Studies, Biology, etc.) because they are inappropriate even for the higher classes in the Island schools. Some get reycled to an annual Book Sale in Geelong but as the Australian schools update their study books so often, the books are not wanted here either so we are given a hundred or more boxes of these higher level books. I think many would be good for Fiji Teacher's Colleges which are part of the new Fiji university.

By the way I can't get Fiji TV internet site (printed stories) as up comes a message 'Forbidden'. I wonder if anyone else gets that message or am I singled out as someone who should be banned! I still can get the Fiji TV site with the news as small videos.