How can we contribute to reducing school violence?

Abu Adam Mahameed – Daraa

School violence is one of the prevalent forms of violence in Syrian society, encompassing physical, verbal, and psychological violence, often leaving severe psychological and physical injuries.

Several factors have contributed to the increase in cases of school violence in Syria, including displacement, poverty, and unemployment, which have added pressure on students, teachers, and administrators. Additionally, these circumstances have led to discrimination and bullying, creating a tense atmosphere within schools with actions and reactions.

All these factors have resulted in a decline in the educational level of students and a general decrease in the quality of education. School violence not only affects students’ performance within the school but also outside it, leading to behavioral problems due to a decline in their psychological development. In other words, students become less capable of empathy, social interaction, and constructive interaction with others.

The role of families and individuals comes into play in dealing with this phenomenon by building a dialogue space with students, whether they are children, adolescents, or young adults. Encouraging them to talk about the problems they face in school and providing a conducive environment for expressing their feelings and guiding them to find solutions to build self-confidence and promote positivity. Additionally, cooperation between the school and families, with parents communicating with teachers and supervisors, is crucial to providing a safe educational environment. It is also essential to work on enhancing human values among students, such as respect, cooperation, understanding, and empathy.

Indirect and effective means to reduce school violence and its effects include encouraging students to focus on sports and participating in social and cultural activities. These activities create good opportunities to release negative energy, in addition to their role in entertainment, promoting teamwork, and social development.

Ending school violence requires effort from the entire community to find and implement solutions to achieve a safe educational environment for students. While the major responsibility lies with education and upbringing officials to take strict measures, everyone is involved in reducing instances of school violence and improving the quality of education and upbringing in society.