There is an oft-repeated argument by many social commentators that our streets, schools and roads are unbearably violent. As we continually witness events unfolding in several spheres of our society, be it in the mines; in our education system, or even in the political arena, the question of using violence to get points across perpetually rears its ugly head.
The question we should be asking ourselves, if we are convinced that we are a violent society, is to what extent is violence prevalent in our schools and how does it contribute to the shaping of the young mind? Because in a normal sequence of events, the learners we have in our classrooms today are the leaders of tomorrow.
The dynamics of violence in schools: Implications for policy makers in South African Education’ is an instructive study which was conducted by a team of researchers from Unisa’s College of Education in six of South Africa’s provinces: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Kwa-Zulu Natal, North West and the Western Cape.
It explored the natural and extent of violence in South African schools focussing mainly on the types of violence, the underlying causes of violence and initiatives for its prevention. The findings of the study suggest that violence is a serious problem in many
South African schools.
To find out more about the findings, causes and recommendations to prevent violence in schools, download the report (PDF 8.1 kb)
Last modified: Mon Aug 07 18:02:03 SAST 2023