” “Parents and teachers in partnership” “

Violence in schools; the phenomenon of “baby gangs”; youth alienation: these are some of the burning issues being addressed by the “Association Européenne des Parents d’Eléves”, a European association representing the parents of pupils. We interviewed its president, Dominique Bariller . Violence in schools: is it the responsibility of the family, of the school environment, or of society at large? “The number itself of the episodes makes violence at school a social phenomenon. Violence at school is violence against the school. It strikes the institution more than the persons. It also causes injury to the institutions as a whole. Apparently, acts of vandalism and aggression are utterly gratuitous, without purpose; in actual fact they are aimed at the school. This is also because at times teachers use a language that children can’t understand. They are either too lax or too severe; too vulnerable or too remote. At the same time, schools are a mirror of society: a society within which it is difficult for teenagers to find a niche for themselves, and which is often incapable of offering them a refuge or a project in life. A society riven, it too, by violence: at the local level, at the global level, in the TV news bulletins, in films. But a violence that also erupts in the family. Too often, children of all ages come to school bringing with them every kind of conflict, frustration, contradiction, loneliness, selfishness experienced within the family, or in the apartment block, or in the local district. The school and the teacher act as a safety valve for the release of the pent-up resentments originated outside the school. Let’s not forget that often we find ourselves living in a society of anonymity, rivalry and consumption that arouses desires that society itself is unable to satisfy. That’s how violence explodes”. How can families and institutions react to “baby gangs”? “Thought needs to be given to how to prevent and disarm violence, given that it’s always better to prevent the explosion than try to curb its consequences. And if the school is the institution that society endows itself with to educate its own children, it is society that must assume responsibility for taking the necessary measures. That means prevention is not only the job of the teachers. All the responsible partners at the local level need to join together to discuss and seek to resolve local problems: parents, associations, movements, security forces, medical practitioners, shopkeepers. Action also needs to be taken to improve the social skills of teachers. The procedures for their recruitment and training need to be completely overhauled. Teachers need to be taught to understand youngsters as they are, with all their desires and what it is that drives them. It’s also important to work in teams, establish a coherent educational community, with concerted principles and methods. Last but not least, teachers must be, and must feel themselves to be, co-responsible: and responsible not only when they’re in the classroom, but everywhere: for example, in the corridors, in the school playground and in the other premises that concur to the creation of an environment that children can relate to. At this level, not strictly pedagogical, parents have an important role to play. Their educational responsibility is placed on the line both at home and at school. Whenever an educational success is registered, parents have always participated in the solution of the problems”. What objectives are pursued by the European Parents’ Association? “Our association tries to promote educational dialogue and pursue a ‘project of peace’ in schools through dialogue between all the partners of the educational community. The association also strives to obtain the necessary resources to sensitise and train teachers and parents to cooperate together. Violence in schools is one of the issues on which teachers and parents can and must work in partnership together”. Gian Andrea Garancini – Brussels