Violence at school: questions to be answered

After the 14-year-old Elina threw herself from the third floor of the school, a campaign began in social networks # Elinaüçünsusma, "Bullinq gələcəyi bulandırır". People began to write in social networks about what they face in schools, and all indicated that the situation in schools needs improvement. People write about the oppression of schoolchildren by teachers, about the arbitrariness of directors, the attitude of high school students to primary schoolchildren, harassment of pupils against pupils, the unwillingness of school leaders to notice this, and so on. Why does this happen in schools? What and who is behind the processes taking place in educational institutions.Elchin Mahmoud, an expert on education, answers ASTNA questions.

-After the recent event with Elina, the campaign started in social networks. People write about what they see at schools, and it is very sad. How do you assess the situation in schools? Why do teachers designed to bring up and educate treat children like this?

- First, I would like to note that in secondary schools of our country, the students of higher subjects the younger students to physical and psychological pressure, and this is a common phenomenon. Around the world, various measures are being taken against the phenomenon called Bullying. Unfortunately, in Azerbaijan the fight against Bullying is at a very low level. Poorly educated students humiliate each other, joke in a very offensive form, beat, fight, but the school"s leadership (principal, head teachers) cannot prevent these phenomena, or simply do not want to interfere with this. One of the most common kinds of bullying in recent years in our schools is a form is certain sexual activities on the part of high school students in relation to younger schoolgirls. Teachers and school psychologists should take measures to prevent this. It is necessary to conduct regular prophylactic conversations with students, explaining that such actions cause tension, fear, and anxiety from the opposite side. If such conversations do not work, then the school management must be notified, parents should be brought to school and warned about the actions of their children. However, unfortunately, teachers, school psychologists, head teachers and the principal do nothing against such a serious problem as bullying; they even themselves voluntarily or unwittingly become participants in this process. The bullying of teachers at schoolchildren in various forms, the use of insulting expressions against them in front of the whole class, the manifestation of indifference to the problems of schoolchildren are all serious mistakes that exist in our schools. The directors do not know their schoolchildren, they are not interested in them, they do not try to conduct conversations with them that would help avoid unpleasant actions; or such conversations take place very rare.

-What do you think is the reason for this attitude?

- One of the important reasons is an unprofessional approach of the teaching staff to its duties. The teacher thinks his job is to teach a lesson. The school psychologists are usually those who get low marks at exams on this subject or simply by patronage and kinship with the principal. In both cases, a person who is not familiar with psychology even at the elementary level will not be able to assist to schoolchildren. The school principals thinks mainly about strengthening their position through getting bribes from teachers. Even if the principal is being informed about misbehavior of some students, then things that are more terrible happen: the principal applies violence against such students in the form of insult or humiliation, or by means of several slaps, and maybe punches, and humiliates a pupil.

"Many people explain such behavior of teachers by the fact that they themselves underwent similar treatment in due time, or currently face such an attitude g from higher-ranking individuals or structures. How true is this?

-Today, school psychology and pedagogy are the most poorly taught subjects at higher and secondary special educational institutions that train teachers. The study of these subjects is based only on theory and cramming. Students do not gain any practical knowledge in these two subjects. Working as a teacher, they get very little knowledge on the subject. The only remarks they make, such as "Calm down, do not talk, shut up, when the teacher speaks, the student must be silent, and so on" are the main factors that guide the teacher who received pedagogical education in the Soviet era. They follow the traditional pedagogical approach that they studied many years ago. Very often low salaries, as well as forced work at school, low incentives and constant critic turn teachers into violators.

-Let's conduct a psychological analysis of the situation. How did the teachers and teachers come to this? What do they want to achieve by such an attitude towards students?

- Teachers working in secondary schools should be involved in anti-bullying training and seminars; they should be informed about new, modern forms to prevent violence. Teachers should understand that, along with teaching their main subject, it is very important to treat pupils well, pay attention to their behavior and upbringing, constantly talk about physical or other violence, and prevent possible sexual violence in time.

- Teachers, school principals bear responsibility. However, they do not care about this. Is the reason impunity, or a material aspect, maybe something we do not know about?

-In fact, there are teachers who have been punished or dismissed from work in connection with the widespread video material of the teacher"s violence against the student. Recently, however, complaints by pupils and parents against teachers or principals often remain unpunished. As a result, the negative cases happen more often. Impunity, which you talked about, over time, creates the conditions for teachers and the director to continue to implement those very negative moments. Parents, seeing that their complaints remain unanswered and ineffectual, in most cases are forced to agree with the situation, and this leads to such tragedies that happened to Elina. Parents, seeing that their children are insulted even physically, seeing that their children are subjected to sexual pressure, complain to teachers, to the principal. When the problem is not solved, they decide to change the school; if it is not possible, they are forced to accept it. They advise children to be patient, not to pay attention to people, and to continue to cope with such situation. As a result, the student does not stand up and commits a suicide.

-If this continue, what will be the future of education, the future of today's children? What should be done to prevent it?

-Unfortunately, such a situations has been lasting for a long time, and is getting worse. Every day, thousands of schoolchildren are exposed to various forms of pressure from teachers. As a result, students will receive injuries in one form or another. They grow up cowardly; they think that justice is on the side of power, they consider it senseless to demand their rights. Sometimes they become depressed, offended, and depart from the learning process.

To prevent this, large-scale measures are needed. Psychologists in the school should be professionals. Campaigns against bullying should be organized; they should talk with students on these topics. If the principal does not respond to violence at school, he must be dismissed from his post.