School violence is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide, according to a new study by the International Bureau of Education. The study proposes anti-violence measures putting the onus on teachers to help pupils develop non-violent behaviour.

The study was conducted in Jordan, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Israel, Slovakia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru. Entitled Violence at School: Global Issues and Interventions, it deals with the impact of violence on teaching and learning.

The study also suggests conflict-resolution skills for the curriculum. It recommends partnerships with out-of-school agents to help tackle violence, particularly in schools where community violence spills over into the classroom. In Latin America, the study points out, learning centres in churches, mosques and youth clubs help parents improve their child-rearing practices and discipline their children without punitive measures.

Toshio Ohsako, who co-ordinated the study, says it reveals that violent children are at risk and have a much higher probability of becoming juvenile delinquents and adult criminals than their law-abiding peers.

The disruption of the teaching/learning process and the consequent waste of the teachers' time were other negative effects of school violence which often go well beyond the classroom, according to the study. Children subjected to violence are likely to perceive it as the sole means of solving conflict and may join gangs. In the Ethiopian study, more than 40 per cent of all students reported having either repeated classes or dropped out of school due to violence. The study says the causes of school violence can be found in the family environment, the school itself and the media. It also says frustration and violence arises from inappropriate child-rearing practices, public humiliation of low-achieving students, inflexible curricula irrelevent to the needs of pupils and the marginalization of young people from economically deprived areas.