M. Brooks, Contributor

Tragedy visited the campus of Jamaica College recently, when a student was killed in a fracas involving another child. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

After Emancipation, and the implementation of an educational system in Jamaica that catered for students from all walks of life, the school was looked upon as a safe haven, and an opportunity for a better life. Unfortunately with the present upsurge in violence in our school this view has to be thrown out the windows.

Violence is now acknowledged to be one of the major problems in our educational system - from the pre-kindergarten to the tertiary level. Youths tend to be both the most likely victims and the most likely perpetrators in violence in our nation's schools.

Factors causing violence

There are numerous factors associated with this upsurge of violence. Exactly what is violence? Violence can be said to be the exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse. There are different levels of violence; however, the one that sparks the most concern is the level of violence among our students. There is peer-to-peer bullying, and it is this form that results in sometimes fatal incidents in our schools.

Recently, at a prominent high school in Kingston, a 16-year-old student disembowelled his fellow classmate, who did not survive this horrendous ordeal. Have you ever wondered where their fellow schoolmates were? Did they stand aloof and watch each other inflicting fatal wounds and issuing piercing cries for help and mercy? Why have students become so heartless? Are they mirroring what is happening in our society? Are they emulating the bizarre behaviour of community dons, gangsters and thugs?

Back in our history, it was seldom heard of students attacking so as to kill each other. Disputes were often settled with a few punches inflicted to various parts of the body; however, it was never intended to be fatal. Often, disputes could be solved verbally. What about the peace and love that once existed in our schools? Is our educational system doing enough to deal with violence in school?

Students are obviously going down the wrong path. Some students are allowed to do whatever they wish without proper supervision, and they take their behavioural attitude into the schools.

School environment

Sometimes, students wake up to see police officers roaming their communities and this ordeal scares them. Do they feel confined in school with the presence of police officers? It is my suggestion that the police officers be removed from the schools and go to combat crime and violence in the wider com-munity, while the schools should be equipped with individuals who are specifically trained to deal with students with behavioural problems.

Some of our students are coming from garrison communities and they tend to transfer their communal attitudes to their schools. They watch people killing each other and sometimes they have to be hiding to escape bullets. Can't you see there is a serious psychological problem with some of our students? How do you expect them to behave better, when this is the same behaviour that permeates their dysfunctional families and communities?

The old adage states 'Train up a child in the way he should grow, and when he is old he will not depart'. Would you really want them to behave like dons? How do you tell a child he must behave based on the moral values he has been taught, when the teacher leading them is being violent towards them as well?

Violence in our schools is not as a result of one contributing factor - dysfunctional families, poor parenting skills, lack of respect for self and others, intolerance, indiscipline and heartlessness and corporal punishment (when it is intended to hurt) are only a few. Police officers will never be able to combat all these factors and eliminate violence in our nation's schools. What about the programme PALS? Are they doing enough? Isn't it obvious that our nation's children need lessons to help with anger management, conflict resolution and respect from their teachers?

Teachers contributing

Sometimes, teachers exercise some level of violence in the form of corporal punishment to their students. Stop doing this! Give them support and love. Sometimes, this is all they need to change their violent attitudes. Teachers, allow your students to trust you. With a certain level of trust, you can become a catalyst for change. Parents, stop abusing your children. Children need love and without it our nation will continue to plunge into the violence crisis. Children who normally experience violence in their homes and communities often tend to transfer it to their schools' environment.

Students, this is an appeal to you, place yourself in the shoes of the person you have differences with. Would you want him to do what you are planning to do to him? One student can be an agent of change. Speak peace and love; this is what is needed to combat violence. Killing, fighting, shooting and stabbing your fellow student will not provide a long-term solution to solving differences. Talk it out, do not fight it out. Make a promise to restore peace in our country. We must start somewhere. And it starts with you.

mbrooks045@yahoo.com