A senior leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints in Tonga said he was unaware of any plan to shut down the church’s largest high school in the kingdom this week.
Elder ‘Aisake Tukuafu was responding after the unconfirmed report was uploaded and widely shared on social media today.
It has been claimed the school will be shut down because of its students’ repeated and ongoing involvement in fight with students from other schools.
Takaetali Maka who is understood to be living in the United States and a member of the church has made the claim on a video clip and uploaded to Facebook.
He claimed the LDS church’s First Counsellor President Henry B. Eyring is coming to Tonga on Tuesday 13 June to shut down the school.
He said the school authorities and parents had been warned before of a possible shut down.
He also reminded viewers the church had already closed down its school in Samoa.
Maka was emotional and tearfully ended his video with a message of love to the school and the students.
However LDS church leader in Tonga Elder ‘Aisake Tukuafu told Kaniva News this evening he was unaware of a plan to shut down the school.
In Tongan he said: “Kataki kuo te’eki keu lave’i ‘e au ha fakaha ‘o felave’i mo e me’a ni”.
As Kaniva News reported last year the church’s authorities in Tonga had been warned by the church’s Commissioner of Education the school could be shut down if students will continue their involvement in fighting with students from other schools.
Elder Kim B. Clark has issued the warning while he visited the kingdom to give “advice to Tongan students, teachers and parents”.
He said if “violence and fighting” … “becomes the nature of these schools, then yes, the church will shut it down”
The 5.03 minute clip was posted on Facebook this morning where it has received more than 400 comments and more than 400 reactions.
Some viewers do not believe in Maka and said it was fake news.
One viewer wrote in a comment: “What is your position in the church that allows you to release this big news. Did you attend the meeting where this information was passed or you just heard it from others”?
Another added: “It is sad to hear about what would happen to the school”.
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