The Boroko District Court convicted seventy students from different schools in Port Moresby on Friday for inciting school fights in the city.
National Capital District Metropolitan Superintendent Warrick Simatab, who was pleased with the decision after being briefed by prosecutors, said it is a step forward in teaching students not to fight among themselves. He said the seventy students were convicted on Friday by Boroko District Court Magistrate Sandy Tiankin.
He stated that the students were convicted and ordered to pay a K200 court fine, with their bail money converted to cover the fine. They were further ordered by the court to serve a six-month good behavior period, during which they must not commit any offenses.
Met Supt Simatab, who was pleased with the decision, called on the students to concentrate on their studies instead of moving around in groups fighting with students from other schools.
“Your parents, guardians, and sponsors make sacrifices and invest in your education because they want you to have a better future. Do not allow peer pressure, rivalry, or social influence to destroy those opportunities. Choose discipline. Choose respect. Choose education. Choose education over violence. Your future is worth far more than one fight,” Met Supt Simatab said.
He added that another 20 students, who were classified as adults, will also appear before the Boroko District Court. He emphasized that the police will not hesitate to arrest students who go around inciting fights, as this case will now be used as precedent to charge any student group involved in school fights.
He further added that police will work closely with school management teams to ensure students involved in such behavior are dismissed if they fail to listen. He said parents and guardians now have a responsibility to discipline their children at home before sending them to school.
