GSSC cultural officer pleads for support for school

GSSC cultural officer Hussam Saraf said media reports of violence, lowered enrolment numbers and stressed-out staff had taken their toll.

In the past year, the school has grappled with the fallout from violent fights, lockdowns and ongoing police presence.

Mr Saraf said the coverage of a "climate of fear" had left students "confused and lost".

“It's a political game,” he said.

“It's like sending a soldier to war and telling them you're going to die on the first day — of course that will end up with fights, with hating each other.

“It's hard for the kids, hard for us, hard for everyone.”

The new Greater Shepparton Secondary College is still under construction; it is set to open at the beginning of 2022.

But Victorian Department of Education Data shows GSSC has seen a steady decline in enrolment numbers since the merger of the four Shepparton high schools.

Despite the figures, Mr Saraf said the "super school" model wasn't to blame.

“We have an issue from a long time ago, not because of the super-school . . . but even before that, which was losing students — this is an ongoing issue, not a new issue,” he said.

Mr Saraf said it was the tradition of multicultural families for their children to live with the family unit into adulthood, but there were not the same opportunities for tertiary education in Shepparton as in Melbourne, nor a fast commute to the city.

“There's no big universities here . . . multicultural families, they need to live with their kids, it's in our culture and it's hard for them to leave two hours and come back two hours.”

As teachers sought to reassure students and parents, Mr Saraf said the efforts of staff were being "wrecked" outside the school from the growing backlash.

“What we build for a week they demolish in a minute,” he said.

“Fights happen every year, it's teenagers, and it's Year 9 and 10, I don't think it has anything to do with racism.

“This is an invitation for everyone — support the school and what we've been building, we're trying to build a new culture but it's not possible without parents supporting us.”