School violence denounced on Counselling, Guidance Day

“With your big head, you will become nothing in the future”. “What can you do to me, your father is poor”. “Leave me alone, what have I done to you”.

“Two plus two equals to Zero”. These and many more are some of the statements the education community in Cameroon decried as they commemorate the 10th edition of the National Day of Guidance Counselling on the theme “No to Violence in the School Environment”.

While commemorating the day on October 16, 2015 at the Government Primary School Nkolndongo Mbida in Yaounde, the Secretary General at the Ministry of Basic Education, Professor Ivo Leke Tambo, on behalf of his Minister, said the objective of the day is to sensitise the educational community on the impact of violence on the performance of pupils.

When people come together as it is the case in the school community, Leke Tambo said there is bound to be conflicts which could occur between pupils, pupils and teachers and well as teachers and school administration.

Noting that violence does not have a place in the school environment, this phenomenon, if not properly handled could cause serious problems with consequences such as school drop out for pupils, absenteeism for others as well as pain. He stressed that learning in a school environment needs good morals and sanctions should be meted correctly.

Other speakers on the occasion took to the rostrum to talk about violence, its definition, causes and how it could be reduced in schools. Stating that violence could be as a result of social or economic, the university lecturer, Professor Belinga Bessala said to reduce violence in schools, parents should cooperate with teachers in helping pupils not to use bad languages in school which is one of the causes of violence.

Besides offering special training to teachers on how to avoid or manage cases of violence in the school milieu, teachers are urged to avoid telling children things that degrade them, avoid physical violence on pupils as well respect them for the behaviour of a teacher has a significant influence on children placed under their responsibility. To grace the event, pupils presented sketches to say “No to Violence in the School milieu”.