Responding to school violence

Students, parents, teachers and school administrators are now complaining about the rapid rise of school violence and are naturally seeking a rapid solution. There is no rapid answer nor a ready-made panacea to the problem. There is simply no shortcut to addressing this phenomenon.

There are, in fact, many factors that led to this "epidemic" in schools, and when examined in depth, students who are violent to their peers or teachers are driven by the same frustrations and anger that can be found in society at large.

Rising cost of living, turbulent conditions in the region and perhaps the breakdown of traditional family ties may have contributed to students' "short fuses" and their rush to violent means to vent their anger and frustrations.

This makes the solution to the problem rather complex and multidimensional. The answer may have to include both preventive measures as well remedial actions. Raising awareness about the problem among students, parents and teachers is only the beginning of the long road to a solution. School authorities need to spearhead campaigns to raise awareness about the crisis and engage students and parents alike in a dialogue about ways to combat the problem and prevent it. The solution would have to be multidimensional in order to factor in all the relevant features of the complex issue.

Removing tensions from school campuses by engaging students in extra curricula activities and activating the role of students associations or clubs can lend support to the effort.

Whatever the way is to responding to school violence, all efforts need to be channelled before it develops into unmanageable proportions.