1. Co-organizer
with Catherine Blaya of the first International Conference on Violence in Schools
and Public Policies, held at UNESCO headquarters from March 5-7, 2000. |
In
all countries, schools are magnets for strife in society. Dealing with these tensions
calls for extreme caution, for fear of making matters worse
Violence in schools
is a worldwide problem: it exists in rich and poor countries alike. It’s chiefly
a male phenomenon, hitting a peak when boys turn 16 years old in some countries and
13 in others. Experts agree at least on one point: this violence cannot be pinned
to a single cause. Instead, they point to complex patterns linked to family situations,
socio-economic conditions and teaching methods.
Tackling
segregation
But
these are just indicators and do not justify any deterministic explanations. When
researchers say that 10 to 20 percent of risk factors are linked to single-parent
families, this suggests that 80 to 90 percent of such families are not the source
of any violence. A child from a black slum area with a teenage mother or a father
in jail will not automatically be violent! Likewise, experts say there is a “hard
core” of violent children—about five percent of the total. But in comparing several
schools in similar problem French neighbourhoods, I’ve found that this figure can
vary between one and 11 percent. The school itself can be an aggravating factor,
through high staff turnover or “ghetto classes” to which poorly-performing students
are relegated. These “hard core” groups, then, cannot be deemed “inalterable.” On
the contrary, something can be done about them.
Should they simply be expelled, as some advocate? Such a measure would only make
their segregation and sense of exclusion worse. And they are, after all, at the root
of the whole problem. The solution lies partly in developing customized projects,
but most importantly, in strengthening economic and social participation.
To put an end to school violence, we need a well-established state with the means
to compensate for inequalities, a state that tries to re-establish diversity in neighbourhoods
and schools, one that does not give up on the notion of justice for children, as
some are demanding.
Passing
the torch
We
should also try to lift schools out of their fortresses, so they do not become the
symbol of a society that excludes people. Projects in the Netherlands, Brazil and
the United States have shown that schools can be vibrant places that provide social,
medical and cultural services to a neighbourhood.
In the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, for example, there is a vocational school
where elderly craftsmen teach their skills to teenagers. Such contact between generations
can offer a very valuable social education. “It takes a village to educate a child,”
goes an African proverb. Let’s make an effort to seek out these opportunities, even
in the most heartless cities. |
