A Parent Concern: Liahona High School Violence Caused by Few “Terrorists” ^Featured

This Liahona High School parent is horrified with the sensationalization by the local media of Elder Kim B. Clark’s − LDS Commissioner of Education worldwide − recent visit to Tonga. Instead of pursuing the positive educational news Elder Clark (a General Authority Seventy) brought to Tonga, the media concentrates on the age-old problem of school-boy brawling as if Elder Clark came specifically for that reason.

How was the problem explained to Elder Clark? On such a brief visit, his agenda would be filled with important educational strategies, administration challenges, increased staffing, religious concerns, and student performance evaluations. Church schools reputation in the media would be addressed if it’s a universal problem, which he would have a ready answer for. But this is a local problem, which Elder Clark would not know the full historical roots and cultural ramifications of our “school-boy brawls” in a few hours or even a few days of briefing.

It is unfair to post a question for a comment on cultural pride and ignorance to a highly educated man who would have never seen such violence before. The local media complains constantly about foreigners as being “parachute journalists” who would spend a few hours on the ground and make a blanket judgment on local matters.

LOCAL MEDIA ASK “TRICK” QUESTION

Obviously, someone (a media person or a Liahona leader) asked the trick and hypothetical question meant to entrap an answer of finality. It was an unfair question to Elder Cark: Would the Church consider shutting down Liahona High School because of the school-boy brawls? Elder Clark was honest but without realizing, he fell victim to give the answer to a Tongan problem, which local leaders and Police are helpless trying to find an answer to it.

Elder Clark answered, “How do we need schools that seek violence and fighting? If that becomes the nature of these schools, then yes, the church will shut it down. Our intent is to become the opposite to become great sources of strength to the country.” Absolutely, but we all know that, that is not the “nature” of Liahona High School to “seek violence.” Girls do not fight, and only a few “bad apples” boys, and sometimes non-student individuals are the instigators.

Unfortunately, the question transferred the responsibilities to solve the problem from local leaders to Elder Clark. And shutting down LDS Schools in Tonga was the harsh message everyone wanted to hear a “General Authority” of the LDS Church deliver. To LDS members, it’s the equivalent of Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments and found the Israelites had turned to idol worshipping.

The question should have been, “Is this a local matter for the local administration to manage, or does the LDS Church have similar problems anywhere else?” The local administration should be taking full responsibilities.

A LOCAL MEDIA DEFICIENCY

To his credit, Elder Clark, Ph.D. economics, Harvard University (former dean of Harvard School of Business, 1995-2005); former president of BYU-Idaho, 2005-2015; called to a General Authority Seventy, April 4, 2015, answered the question as asked. But the real news was that Dr. Clark announced the LDS Church commitment to increasing educational resources to its educational systems.

“Schools need to be an engine of development and growth for the church and countries,” he said.
“What needs to be improved, the primary thing is to get better at teaching and learning with more training, more development, more ideas, and better teachers.” He encouraged students to continue their education after high school. The LDS Church operates BYU-Hawaii; BYU-Idaho; BYU-Provo; LDS Business College, Salt Lake City, Utah; and BYU Jerusalem Center, Jerusalem, Israel.

This is great news for Tonga: With an ever-growing young population, dwindling fundings to modernize the government schools, the LDS Education System is increasing its fundings, and improving teachers’ skills, and providing more training. But nobody in the media explored this great news. In what ways is the LDS Education System going to “bring more development, more ideas, and better teachers?” But the local media is incapable of such research work.

A LOCAL ADMINISTRATION DEFICIENCY

In this parent’s views, the problem lies with the local administrators. If I were Elder Clark, I would remind the local administrators with their responsibilities to clean up the mess within six months. Otherwise, they would all be replaced. Reason being, it’s been too long, and they’ve had enough time to clean it up. A “Clean House” would replace the “culture” and bad blood that is festering among the students. They need new leaders who can pave  new paths to “bring more development, more ideas, and better teachers.”

Pathetically, Liahona High School withdrew from inter-secondary schools sports and athletics competitions. Leaders are claiming success in their first year, however, the problem still exists. And my children are denied their opportunities to enjoy school sports activities with other schools. Administrators have held devotional prayer meetings between these schools, and the Police are even including threats of cancelling the sports and athletics competitions. I am oppose to that unwise thought.

Now, we have a member of the LDS General Authorities issuing a threatening message. Is this suppose to cause the few boys who find this violence entertaining to be shaking in their boots? I don’t think so; while good students and their parents feel threatened by Elder Clark’s comments, these few troublemakers are “terrorists” and they should be treated like terrorists. My children have lost their freedom to travel back and forth to school in peace. They are denied the joy of participating in inter-school sports and athletics.

Why should the majority of the student body live in fear of these few terrorists? Read more in Part II next week how we can solve the problem of getting rid of these “terrorists.”

(Sione A. Mokofisi is a bi-lingual published writer. He holds a MBA from the University of Phoenix-Arizona; B.S. and Diploma in Travel Industry Management at BYU-Hawaii; an A.A. from Mesa Community College-Arizona. He worked professionally for major airlines, major hotel chains, and major news corporations. E-mail contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).