A holistic approach to school violence and indiscipline

Addressing school violence and indiscipline effectively begins with an understanding of the nature of the problem; being able to answer the questions, “What is this?” “How will we recognise it?” School violence has been defined as youth violence that occurs on school property, on the way to school and from school or school-sponsored events, or during a school-sponsored event. A young person can be a victim, a perpetrator, or a witness of school violence.

School violence may also involve or impact adults (Center for Disease Control, 2016). School violence includes bullying, fighting, weapon use, electronic aggression and gang violence, examples of which we can identify in our own contexts from reports of various incidents across Trinidad and Tobago.

It is important to also note that school violence is not only a school or educational issue. Indeed, it is also a public health issue since school violence may result in both physical and psychological challenges that impact on the entire society — children, teachers, families and communities. Additionally, while school violence typically involves people between the ages of ten-24 years, pathways to youth violence can begin in early childhood.

The burning question of course is, “What do we do about it?” As indicated in last week’s issue, we need a layered approach to addressing this problem. However, at this juncture it is important to sound a note of caution: there is no quick fix to this problem. It did not happen overnight and it is an ever evolving phenomenon influenced by broader societal factors.

Whatever course of action we decide to embark upon to address this we must recognise that we are in it for the long haul. The actions must be systemic, broad-based and sustainable. So, back to the layered approach which consists of four layers to the solution — the individual, relationships, communities, and societal. At the individual layer, we first need to recognise that there are multiple factors that may give rise to an individual’s involvement with violent behaviour — experiences, knowledge, and skills.

Deficiencies in any of these areas leave children and youth with the inability to effectively solve difficulties or participate in pro-social activities that may significantly reduce the risk for violence.

One useful evidence-based strategy is universal, school-based violence prevention programmes that focus on emotional self-awareness, emotional self-control, pro-social skills, social problem-solving, conflict resolution and teamwork — all aimed at self-empowerment.

Even as this is happening at the level of the school, there are parallel activities that must take place in the other layers.

Through the universal schoolbased programmes described above, a climate that supports healthy relationships among peers, teachers and students, and the school and families helps enhance protective factors, and reduce risk factors.

Children learn how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence, teachers learn strategies for building respectful and supportive relations with students and the line of communication between the home and the school is enhanced.

At the community level, there is a need to provide more structured after- school programmes to support children and youths, particularly in those communities that are prone to violence, characterised by low income or poverty. Furthermore, on the societal level, supportive policies and systems must be put in place to support all the foregoing layers. Addressing violence and indiscipline in school must be a collaborative effort.