Conflict resolution a solution to violence in schools
Due to the recent outbursts of violence in schools, parents are being encouraged to practise and teach proper conflict resolution methods to their children, to help prevent violent behavioral outcomes. According to a media report “The call came from Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams as she addressed a virtual Dress and Grooming Consultation Session with parents” on Tuesday 4 October.
“What we are seeing playing out in our schools is just the behaivour that they have absorbed in the homes and in the communities… and when they come to school, they don’t have a sense of how [to] interact with other students [during a disagreement],” she said. The Minister pointed out that too often children are exposed to violence within their homes and communities. “Violence has been perpetrated on them. We really need to stop as a society and understand the negative impact of that, and to know that there are boundaries and rules,” she said.
Meanwhile, Williams noted that a study conducted on four-year-old students from the Early Childhood sector three years ago showed that “maybe 20 per cent or so, by the time they get to [age] four, have behavioral and early literacy and numeracy issues”.
She argued that the results indicate that many of those children faced physical and verbal abuse within the home. “We need to stop as a society and understand that we are really damaging the heart [and] the minds of our children by the things we do and how we relate to them,” the Minister said.
The most recent act of violence was the stabbing death of Michion Campbell, an 11th grade student at the Kingston Technical High School, by another 11th grader on Thursday September, during a dispute. The 11th grader was later charged with murder. “We interact with them in a very rough way. There’s plenty of research that is telling us that we are damaging the psyche of our children when we hit them, yell, or hurl expletives at them,” Williams added.
Persons are encouraged to report child abuse to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) by calling the 24-hour helpline, 2-1-1.
