An internal investigation is underway at Matevulu College after two teachers were identified as being involved in a student walkout that saw nearly 200 students leave the campus over the weekend.

College Principal Henry Wass confirmed to VBTC News that the teachers are being investigated following the incident, which began early Saturday and continued into Sunday morning. A total of 100 boys and 88 girls reportedly walked out in protest.

“The investigation is still ongoing. We’ve already identified one or two teachers behind this. We will release their names publicly so people can see who encouraged the students to leave,” Mr Wass said.

Students involved in the walkout cited several reasons for their protest, including poor food quality, excessive labor tasks, unfair disciplinary measures, mistreatment from staff, and poor infrastructure conditions on campus.

A student representative told VBTC that students have been unhappy for some time, pointing to multiple unresolved issues.

“First is decision-making, second is sanitation and hygiene, third is expired food, then there’s the deputy principal making decisions without the school council. We also have issues with lighting, health services, abusive language, being used as office messengers, and no clear school policies.”

In response, Principal Wass denied the claims and labelled some of the complaints as exaggerated or untrue.

“We’ve already started preparing the school garden for next year. Students are just doing weeding now. They say they’re hungry, but that’s not true — students eat noodles in all schools across Vanuatu. We have water tanks and never ran out of water,” he said.

He also rejected allegations of forced labor and harsh discipline.

Board member Newtman Tangis said the Matevulu College board wants to see structural change at the school and more transparency in decision-making.

“Over time, we’ve noticed the school is running under a single mindset. Even within the board, we’re not always aware of what’s going on,” Mr Tangis said.

Despite the walkout, the college remains operational with more than 500 students still on campus. Mr Wass confirmed that some of the students who joined the strike have already returned to school.