When discussion about violence in schools begins, it is usually after a bullying incident, a conflict, a complaint or behaviour that crosses the line. That is when everyone expresses surprise. We supposedly feel shocked, condemn what happened, look for those responsible and demand action. Until the noise dies down and the cycle repeats itself with the next incident.
For the Centre for Gender Equality and History (KIIF), however, the crucial question comes one step earlier: What happens every day inside schools that helps a child learn to coexist with others, recognise emotions, respect difference and manage conflict without violence?
The study
Thekla Kyritsi, KIIF's executive director, presented to Politis the NGO's study, titled Incorporating the Principle of Non-Violence: An Analysis of the Educational System's Approach to Violence and Its Relationship with Gender, Race and Ethnicity in Cyprus, along with its conclusions and recommendations.
The study will be submitted to the Ministry of Education and other institutions and is available on the centre's website.
Kyritsi said the starting point for the research was the need for interventions in schools on issues of equality at a time when violence, bullying directed at children perceived as different, sexism, racism and exaggerated displays of masculinity are becoming increasingly visible.
The research began with primary schools, on the basis that this is where foundations are laid.
The question was not how many incidents of violence are recorded, although, despite searching extensively, the researchers were unable to find publicly available statistics, something Kyritsi criticised during the interview. Instead, the focus was on whether the school environment itself cultivates a culture of non-violence.
To gain a comprehensive picture, the centre mapped the institutions that influence primary education and examined Ministry of Education guides and protocols on incident management.
Researchers then conducted an online questionnaire, mainly targeting teachers, collecting 115 responses.
In addition, 20 interviews were carried out with educators and institutional representatives, including participants from the Observatory for Violence in Schools, the Pedagogical Institute, POED and the Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights.
The paradox
The study produced what Kyritsi describes as a paradoxical picture.
Most stakeholders agree both on the problems and on the direction education should take.
"Almost everyone recognises that the pedagogical goal is, or should be, the development of the child's personality, student-centred and human-centred learning, empathy and social and emotional skills.
"You say you want a critically thinking child, creative and respectful of their uniqueness. My question is: if everyone agrees, why is change so difficult to embed in the daily operation of schools? Why haven't these principles been incorporated into the structure of education?"
She also asks why teachers are not given the time and tools necessary to implement this approach.
Instead, Kyritsi argues, schools continue to produce children who obey rules, lack initiative, lose their imagination, have no "right" to reflect on their emotions and ultimately surrender their individuality in order to fit into the collective.
"If the educational goal is the development of the student, then why does the system revolve around grades, academic performance and covering the curriculum?" she asks.
The result of this approach, she says, is that when children reach 10 to 13 years of age and enter secondary school, they often lack the tools needed to deal with bullying, relationships and interpersonal conflicts.
Violence
This, she argues, is where the growing phenomenon of violence in and outside schools comes into play.
When children are not given space to know themselves, express themselves and manage their emotions and energy, an environment is created in which violent behaviour becomes more likely.
Added to this are influences carried over from society and the family, including gender stereotypes, racist attitudes and prejudice towards difference.
"It's not that the school creates the stereotype. It's that it doesn't intervene in the stereotype," Kyritsi says.
The study links this failure to intervene with problems that become more pronounced later, particularly during adolescence.
One lesson is not enough
One of the study's findings is that health education, taught once a week in primary schools, is insufficient to address physical and mental health issues.
It is not enough, the study argues, to teach children how to maintain balance, communicate effectively, protect themselves, receive the foundations of sex education or develop broader social skills.
Teachers who participated in the research described exactly this pressure: they are rushing to cover the curriculum and, even when they want to build a different relationship with students, they lack the necessary pedagogical time.
"Non-violence must be part of a school's everyday culture. Children need space to express themselves, recognise and manage their emotions, build relationships, understand diversity and develop initiative," Kyritsi said.
Otherwise, she added, schools are left dealing with behaviours after they emerge rather than preventing them in a systematic way.
Giving children space and time
The picture became clearer through experiential workshops conducted by the centre in schools as part of the research.
Children were invited to participate actively, move around, discuss their identities, reflect on what defines them and communicate with one another.
According to Kyritsi, the response was enthusiastic.
Some children described the workshops as the best lesson they had ever experienced.
For the researchers, however, that reaction contained a worrying message: the freedom to move, speak and reflect should not feel so unfamiliar.
The same applies to free play.
Children are asking for longer breaks, while, according to the study, many do not have enough time to eat, use the toilet and genuinely play with friends.
As a result, the discussion around violence prevention is linked even to how the school day itself is organised.
Prevention
The study's recommendations do not focus on introducing yet another lesson against violence.
Instead, it proposes integrating the principles of non-violence into everyday school life through protected time for experiential and interactive learning and discussion on equality, diversity, identity and emotional management.
"This is a daily process and it needs to be freed from the confines of academic subjects," Kyritsi said.
The conclusions also call for more meaningful cooperation among teachers and systematic reflection on the operation of schools themselves.
Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between schools and families.
The recommendation is for structured, high-quality meetings between parents and educators, as well as educational activities that create genuine engagement, rather than allowing the relationship to develop into one of suspicion or confrontation.
School psychologist
In the area of psychological support, the study becomes even more specific.
It recommends that every school have a psychologist integrated into its structure, with a role that extends to all children rather than only those referred after a problem has already emerged.
Such an approach, the study argues, would also help reduce the stigma associated with individual referrals.
Under the proposed model, the psychologist would monitor and support children's development as a whole and participate actively in school activities.
