Cairo - Violence increasing in our schools, as a result of its increasing in the streets. School violence, which includes bullying, physical abuse, verbal abuse, and shootings, has become a matter of serious concern for teachers, pupils, pupils' parents and policymakers. Children who are exposed to violence at school need assistance from adults. Parents, educators, administrators, school mental health workers, police and other health and safety providers have a responsibility to provide children with the safest possible learning environment. They must also keep themselves informed of the violence that children face every day. Such violence occurs most often in urban schools. “Pupils need more co-operation and assistance from families and teachers to grow in a healthy environment and to develop the right attitude,” says Azza el-Khodari, a professor of psychology at Helwan University. She adds that, when parents neglect their children, they become lonely and arrogant. “Parents should give sufficient care and love to their children to make sure that they grow up with the right attitude. Parents carry the biggest responsibility for the children's psychological state. “Violence in schools militates against improving education and school attendance. A pupil's school friends also influence him psychologically. “Children involved in school violence are often truants, suffering from depression, stress and other disorders. “Teachers, headmasters and other school personnel should be ready and able to deal with crises when they occur,” adds Prof. Azza. Samia el-Gendi, a professor of sociology, Faculty of Arts, Helwan University says: “Violence in school has a negative effect on pupils' performance and proficiency. “Parents are often very busy in their jobs, so they are unable to solve their children's problems; as a result these children get drawn into the circle of violence,” she explains, adding that parents should guide their children in the right way to behave. “Children with normal families and without any behavioural problems grow up in a healthy environment and don't quarrel with their friends at school. “But aggressive children are unable to take part in school activities and feel left out and ignored. Such children may even be ridiculed by others, because of their aggressive behaviour.” Prof. Samia explains that many children who are violent at school are exposed to violence or abuse outside of school and may be in need of help from adults. “The headmaster should work with teachers, administrators, school board members, pupils and others to manage programmes for combatting school violence,” she adds. “Schoolboys are more violent than schoolgirls, because the latter are very quiet,” said Reda el-Naggar, a social expert. He added that, from a very young age, children are affected by many types of violence, such as television violence, video-games violence and violent acts in films, which all have a negative effect on a child's psychology. “Schoolteachers should teach their pupils from an early age how to differentiate between reality and fantasy, when they watch TV. “Schools can't fulfil their role as places of learning and socialisation if the children are bullied, intimidated and repressed,” el-Nagar told The Egyptian Gazette. “Schoolteachers should urge their pupils to co-operate with each other and to take part in school activities. The Ministry of Education should also train all teachers in the early detection of violence among children. “They must probe the reasons for the violence and find ways to stop it. They must also advise parents in how to deal with their children, so that they grow up in a healthy environment.”
