Leaders must have a positive attitude to serve, with a caring and compassionate heart to serve selflessly.

These were the words of Minister for Health and Medical Services, Rosy Akbar at the prefects’ induction ceremony at Tavua College yesterday.

She urged this to be  practised by the newly inducted prefects and monitors.

“A great leader always promotes unity, peace and respect for each other. Great leadership usually starts with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference,” Ms Akbar said.

Headgirl Deepshika Kumar said this would be the motto by which she would lead her student council.

Deepshika said she was inspired by Ms Akbar’s speech and her role in the Government.

“She is an outstanding woman leader in the country and she had inspired me definitely to lead with compassion and make a difference,” she said.

The Year 13, student who has been a prefect since Year 9, said she was looking forward to her final year in secondary school as a leader, which has taught her a great deal, especially much about respect and discipline.

The College’s headboy, Diptesh Prasad, who had taken up the responsibility as a leader for the second time said being a prefect was a learning process.

“After all one cannot become a leader if they unable to learn how to follow first,” he said.

He stressed that being a leader was meaningless if one cannot be open to the ideas of others.

Therefore, our aims shall be achieved together as a team, he added.

Ms Akbar congratulated the students, teachers and the parents who were present at the ceremony, for their commitment in the education sector.

 Edited by Jonathan Bryce

arishma.narayan@fijisun.com.fj