Palalaua College

It has been alleged that Leoloa Tuuu Mautofiga struck the student with a PVC-like pipe as a disciplinary measure for posting a photo on social media of him and a friend in school uniform.

The Commissioner of Police Fuiavaili'ili Egon Keil told the Samoa Observer teachers need to know the difference between reasonable force and assault.

He stressed there was a fine line between reasonable force and assault.

He said in this case police have evidence that it was not reasonable force, that it was assault and the individual responsible has been charged.

The beating is alleged to have happened after the student posted a photograph of him and another student on social media wearing their school uniforms, the Samoa Observer reports.

Principal Leoloa Tuuu Mautofiga, of Palalaua College on Upolu, has not commented on the matter.

The student, Brian Vaela'a, told the newspaper he believed the photo was not damaging to the school's reputation nor were there any rules prohibiting the posting of photos in uniforms.

His mother said a nurse at the district hospital filed a report with police after treating her son's injuries.

Police were not immediately available to comment on the fire but an officer at the headquarters of Fire and Rescue says fire trucks have been sent this afternoon from Apia as no fire station is located near the school on that side of Upolu island.

RNZI reports Palalaua College is situated more than eight miles from the main fire station in the capital.

The college is behind the multimillion dollar Siumu primary school built by Chinese aid.