Paper short abstract:

This abstract aims to highlight the school violence pandemic in Kenyan and South African schools, its implications on academic achievement and general well-being of learners and families. The proposal also provides probable solutions to the pandemic. UNESCO (2023) estimated that about 246 million children and adolescents encounter school violence or bullying every year.

Paper long abstract:

This proposal aims to highlight the school violence pandemic in Kenyan and South African schools, its implications on academic achievement and general well-being of learners and families. The proposal also provides probable solutions to the pandemic. In tandem, UNESCO (2023) estimated that about 246 million children and adolescents encounter school violence or bullying every year. According to UNESCO’s conceptual framework of school violence, the three main categories of school violence are as follows; physical violence (fights, physical attacks); Sexual violence (sexual harassment, rape, and attempted rape, sharing of sexualised images and texts) and psychological violence (bullying, verbal abuse, coercion, social exclusion, and emotional abuse). In tracing the roots of school violence in former colonies, Fanon (2008) argues that education itself is used as a tool of administering psychological violence and domination whose aim is to destroy the identity and pride of colonised people. Other identified factors that contribute to school violence include embedded political differences, sexual discrimination, competition for resources, intolerance to cultural diversity. Classmates, teachers, and prefects have been identified as main perpetrators of the vice. School violence has serious implications on learners, parents, schools, and the community. Learners suffer from loss of concentration; poor academic performance; bunking of classes; mental health and depression. Gender inequality is also exacerbated especially in cases where gender and sexual discrimination is the cause of the violence.

Using secondary literature, data and excerpts from media reports, the proposal looks at cases of school violence in Kenya and South Africa. I argue that school violence crisis disturbs the peace of the school and communities. An education environment that is encouraging and warm enables learning and learners to thrive. It is beneficial for learners, they feel comfortable, wanted, valued, accepted, secure, loved, cared, and trusted. Reay (2022) observes that a socially just education system is premised on the good education that upholds the democratic rights of all. It seeks to value and enhance children’s well-being and their intellectual growth. However, a learning environment that is characterised by violence, behavior that is anti-social, uncivil and peace disturbing is unjust. When schools turn into battle grounds, learners carry crude weapons such as guns, knives, pangas, pepper sprays, screwdrivers, and bats instead of books and pens (Mhlongo, 2017). Child trends (2015) observes that high school males are most likely than females to carry a weapon.

Kenyan public secondary schools have experienced a lot of unrest and school vandalism. The situation is very worrisome because, other than the distraction of school property, it has also caused loss of lives of innocent learners. Despite the great loss, very few perpetrators have been charged for arson or murder (Opere et.al, 2019). Schools are forced to deal with loss of teaching and learning time and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure. The loss of teaching and learning time thus has implications for the overall development and acquisition of targeted skills within stipulated time. South Africa’s case is equally unique, and fluid when it comes to school violence. Exacerbated by historical imbalances, gangsterism and high levels of femicide and Gender Based Violence (GBV), girls and boys are not safe in schools. Disturbing cases of violence and vandalism have been recorded in primary and secondary schools (Castella, 2022; Ncontsa and Shumba, 2013). School stabbings are the most dominant forms of violence in South Africa. Cases of rape and attempted rape of girls by fellow learners and teachers have also been recorded. In 2019, school stabbings resulted into death of learners between January and June across several provinces in South Africa. Teachers and school principals have also experienced violence from rogue learners in form of stoning and stabbing.

In concluding, and while recognizing the importance of maintaining a peaceful learning environment for equitable access to education and development of capabilities, I suggest a four-pronged approach to address the school violence impasse. Primarily, interventions that are premised on social justice in upholding the right to education and life as sacrosanct are key. These rights are guaranteed in the Bill of rights in both countries (Rawls,1991). Interventions that recognize the important role education plays in human development and bolstering of individual and societal wellbeing will encapsulate ideas from a capabilities approach (Sen, 2005; Nussbaum, 2011). Introducing peace keeping and building mechanism is important in maintaining law and order in schools. Peace making advocates for zero tolerance to violence in schools. It is concerned with identifying transformative mechanisms of addressing school violence such as dialoguing and mediation as forms of restorative justice. Peace building looks at proactive measures such as cooperative problem solving between teachers and learners (Galtung, 1969, 2018; Buber, 1970). Practicing the ideas of Ubuntu is reminiscent of communalism and ethics of care for one another. It is my view that if Ubuntu- (I am Because We Are) was to be at the centre of the education project, it is probable that the scourge of school violence will be experienced minimally.

Key Words: school violence, implications, solutions

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