EDITORIAL

Apply brakes on school violence

By now, many persons have viewed the horrific attack on a female secondary school student by her peers, which was widely circulated on social and traditional forms of media. Viewers were stunned by the graphic acts, which were carried out with no sympathy towards the victim. Those in the teaching profession or who work extensively with deviant youth were not surprised at what happened, noting that it is not at all an uncommon trend in schools.

The wheels of justice have moved swiftly in this case, with three students since then appearing before the courts. However, as a society, what do we do after the outrage and moral posturing? Where do we go from here? The reality is that violence begets violence. It breeds, multiplies and blossoms well outside of the school setting. By their late teen years, some who had been on a deviant path at school are likely still on that course after leaving school. So the question remains, what has to be done to get our society back on track?

One supposes that many feel as if the horse has already bolted from the stables. Certainly those in the teaching, religious and counselling professions have persistently warned us as a society that violence perpetrated in schools will spill into the wider community. Therefore, it would be helpful to utilise the services of the professionals in those arenas who can bring their own perspectives to bear on the situation.

For example, religious education is still offered as a subject on the curriculum in primary and secondary schools. Perhaps the nature of these sessions could deviate from the usual pattern of biblical books and passages. For instance, Jesus often conveyed the fundamentals of what we know now as Christianity by way of parables and teachings. These nuggets of wisdom were taught with unconventional flair to an unconventional audience. Indeed, some of his disciples were not exactly full of virtue, as in the case of Matthew who was a tax collector, a profession that was not held in high esteem in those times. In addition, the numbers of qualified professionals to assist students who display early signs of deviancy can be bolstered. Suspensions and transferrals of deviant youth do little to solve a problem; rather, they only delay the inevitable conflicts that are likely to occur.

Those are but a few suggestions. It is clear from the cries of the public that enough is enough. How we – and this is the collective ‘we’ in society – go forward determines how successful our efforts will be at nipping this violence in the bud. The zero tolerance approach to bringing the guilty to justice should be lauded. It must be understood, in no uncertain terms, that such horrific actions will be met by the appropriate punishments. However, there must be more that we can do to avoid these scenarios happening in the first place. It is a sentiment echoed by Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite who noted that, from reports coming out of the Government Industrial School, children enter that facility suffering from anger management, mental health, drug-related problems, among other things. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure that we do all that is possible to get the critical help in place before the worst happens.

Barbados Advocate

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