Mariam Al-Sagheer Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Parents are asking the authorities to study the reasons behind the recent rise in school violence, including attacks against teachers. Mohammad Barnawi, a secondary school teacher in Jazan, was killed in such an attack while another teacher was assaulted in Makkah Secondary School in Dammam. In addition, there were other incidents of assault by students against teachers that families and specialists fear will become a trend. Many are asking whether these incidents should be considered individual cases or whether such individual cases may surface in other schools and cities as well. Minister of Education Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah commissioned a specialized team to review these cases, to find out the reasons and motives behind them and suggest solutions to ensure they are not repeated. Although this is a step in the right direction, many believe this team should also investigate the cases with the families of the suspects to determine whether there were certain circumstances that led them to this behavior. Many have questioned whether families are raising bullies or schools have failed to teach students the necessary discipline, which led them to mingle with ill-behaving friends. A number of families believe a students' violent behavior in school should not be separated from teachers' abuse of students. Um Ayman said her son was a very quiet and lovable boy before he went to school. After starting school, he gradually became aggressive and began screaming at and beating up his younger siblings. His father visited the school and discovered that a teacher was constantly screaming at students and reprimanding them. Her son had some difficulties in some subjects and his teacher would reprimand him every day in front of other students. The teacher would also ask the students to call her son shameful names and her son eventually turned into a bully. Um Abdulaziz said her son excelled in his elementary education. After moving to a secondary school, he gradually turned into a bully; he became negligent, violent and disobedient. She later discovered that her son was being harassed by other bullies in school, and he decided to become one, to avoid their harassment. She moved her son to another school and he gradually returned to his previous nature. Teachers had different opinions of violence in schools. While some believe that it is related to teachers' behavior, others insist students should strictly abide by rules of discipline. Bushra Al-Mazrou, principal of a girl's elementary school, said teachers' violence and abuse is caused by many factors, the most important is the number of hours they have to teach. “Teachers are under pressure due to their workload. In addition, some classes are overcrowded with as many as 50 students,” she said. She pointed out that this situation makes it difficult for teachers to properly control students, putting them under great pressure, and they resort to violence to impose discipline in the classroom. Al-Mazrou believes that some candy sold at school canteens contain unknown artificial coloring that causes students to become hyperactive, which represents a problem for teachers. “In addition, some teachers are not content with their jobs and are treated badly by school managements, which again pushes them to be violent and abusive.” Another teacher, who preferred not to be named, said the environment in which teachers were raised has a great influence on their behavior in schools. She believes teachers should not apply the carrot-and-stick approach with students, but a stare should be sufficient at times. She added that some students are very respectful of their teachers, because they have forced their respect and personality on them. “Some students may have been raised in harsh environments, in poor economic conditions and in the absence of monitoring against bad behavior,” she said. Al-Mazrou said some school supervisors do not do homework on guiding students, and school managements lack the ability to deal with such behavior when they occur. Salwa, a secondary girls school principal in Riyadh, said tribal tendencies should not be forgotten in dealing with student violence. “A student may believe that she is better than others because she belongs to a certain tribe, which results in quarrels and fights,” she added. She pointed out that some teachers may put pressure on students to encourage them to excel in their studies, but students interpret such behavior as harassment, resulting in a violent reaction. “A school principal once reprimanded a student in front of other students for not wearing the school uniform. The student's reaction was harsh and she attacked the principal,” she said. She asked teachers to have patience and wisdom to deal with students, as teachers represent parents in schools.
