Violence in Schools

Feb 15, 2010 Editorial

The recent reports of violence in our schools, escalating to the point of youthful students stabbing each other, are very disturbing. But this ought not to be too surprising to those that follow the news either locally or globally. It is unquestionable that violence in schools has become a serious problem that deserves official intervention. It does not matter how much money the government spends annually on education, if violence continues to spread through the schools, it will all be for nought.

Student-on-student violence produces devastating effects on its victims. The problem can escalate, as we have seen in Guyana to student-on-teacher violence. Some victims internalise their reactions resulting in withdrawal, inhibition, depression and sometimes substance abuse. Their schoolwork invariably suffers and many actually drop out of schools. Others may externalise their response resulting in a widening of the cycle of violence.

This phenomenon is worldwide in its reach and there has been a host of inquiries and investigations as to its whys and wherefores. The Ministry of Education ought to have been keeping track of these incidents of violence and it would be instructive if the figures were released. For one maybe we could discover patterns in the data.

For instance, is there an urban-rural cleavage? Do the private schools show the same level of violent eruptions? Are the children that act out violently more likely to come from single parent homes? If our findings correlate with those from other jurisdictions we may be able to adapt some of their initiatives that have been implemented and have demonstrated measures of success.

One variable that we can be sure of in our own country is that the school environment has changed radically in the last half a century. Introduced after the abolition of slavery, education was seen as an avenue out of the grinding poverty that distinguished the lives of most Guyanese. The early church-run primary schools kept a firm hand on their charges – augmented by the cane – that ensured a high level of discipline in the system. Parents generally approved of the methodology that was transferred to the private secondary schools established in their wake. The gradual involvement of the government with the schools, culminating with their complete takeover in 1976, witnessed the gradual attenuation of the old disciplinary regime.

Whatever our stance may be on the efficacy or lack thereof of corporal punishment, we cannot dispute the need for some form of discipline to be inculcated in children while they are in school.

This institution, after all, is the vehicle we have chosen as a society to pass on values to our children that will serve them through life. Nothing in that life will be achieved without discipline and if corporal punishment is not to be used then we ought to be clear as to what will serve in its stead.

Another alarming development in our country has been the glorification of violence by a misguided minority, as a means of settling disputes. This perspective inevitably permeates into the youth culture – even if there had not been the case of explicit recruitment of “child soldiers” in the last decade of political turmoil.

The pop culture – exemplified by the “Gaza and Gully” partisans – aestheticisizes violence among our youths and makes it “hip”. This trend has to be counteracted by the general society at large – especially by parents – and by the school system in particular.

Starting at the Primary School level, other educational authorities have introduced the “Good Behaviour Game” in an effort to modify the response of children away from violence. Through their participation in innocuous-seeming and fun games, children learn to resolve classroom disagreements through non-violent avenues and actually promote pro-social classroom interactions, away from the bullying actions that are fast becoming the norm. This proactive initiative can complement the system of discipline that must also be in place.

It is not surprising that the phenomenon of violence in schools has reached its apogee in the US where “enlightened” notions of discipline have also been furthest advanced and a culture of macho violence is extolled. Let us return to basics even at the cost of such “advances”.