Violence in our secondary schools much higher than EU average

The study, based on a survey of a sample of 486 Year 4 school from a range of schools, have been published in a book: 'Building Resilience in School Children - Risk and Promotive Factors amongst Maltese Primary School Pupils'. It provides a follow-up to a study held three years ago involving another group of children when they were in Year 1. The study was conducted by Carmel Cefai, senior university lecturer in Psychology, and Liberato Camilleri, senior lecturer in Statistics.

The book also refers to worrying statistics about a high level of intimidating behaviour in schools. A study amongst OECD countries reported that almost half (48.8%) of lower secondary students in Malta intimidated or verbally abused other students, a figure which is significantly higher than the OECD average.

An HBSC study (WHO, 2008) also reported that 13% of female and 26% of male students aged 13 years, engage in frequent fighting. These percentages are much higher than the EU averages of 7% for girls and 21% for boys.

Cefai and Camilleri concluded that bullying in schools was not a problem that affected only the pupils being bullied, but also the schools which promoted a peer culture where bullying became a natural part of the school's ethos and everyday behaviour.

They recommended that schools follow WHO recommendations for health promotion in schools, by developing a supportive school ethos and environment. But the National Curriculum Framework that is being proposed for our schools is totally silent on the problems of bullying and discipline in our schools. How can we improve education if teachers are being left alone and finding it increasingly difficult to manage the behaviour of their students?

10% of children at risk of mental health problems

10% of school children are experiencing significant difficulties in their social and emotional development and are at significant risk of experiencing mental health problems.

The worrying findings emerged in a national study of Year 4 pupils attending 65 State and non-State primary schools. It was a follow-up to a study carried out four years ago, on the same pupils when they were in Year 1. These findings are also included in the book by Carmel Cefai and Liberato Camilleri. 

According to teachers and parents, between 7.8% and 9.4% of students in Year 4 have social, emotional and behaviour difficulties. The most common difficulties are those related to hyperactivity. Boys appear more vulnerable than girls.

Some of the factors that may put children at risk are schools with high levels of bullying, poor teacher-student relations, single parent families or two-parent families with high levels of conflict, stressed parents with low expectations of their children, and parents with a low income.

In the four years between the two studies, little seems to have been done to improve matters. Comparing the same group of children (486), studied when they were in Year 1 to when they were in Year 4, the study found that social problems and problems with children of the same age noted in the earlier study increased as the children grew older. 

The study reflects findings in a 2008 WHO study (Health Behaviour School Checklist), putting Malta in the bottom group in terms of health, personal sense of well-being and relationships with parents and pressure to perform at school.

The authors urge the authorities to reduce bullying at school, support single-parents, build closer relationships between the child, its teacher and peers, strengthen school-family collaboration, and raise parental academic expectations for children. Most of the National Curriculum Framework is written for a Malta and Gozo where it is assumed that all the children are highly motivated to learn and have no problems like the ones mentioned by Cefai and Camilleri.

31% of children at risk of poverty

31% of children living in the Southern Harbour Area are at risk of poverty, over 10% more than children at risk of poverty in other parts of the country.
Figures tabled in parliament last week show that there are around 20% of young people under the age of 18 living at the risk of poverty in Malta and Gozo.

In the Southern Harbour District includes all Cottonera, Fgura, Floriana, Luqa, Marsa, Paola, Santa Lucija, Tarxien, Valletta, Xghajra and Zabbar nearly one of every three children and young people living there is at the risk of poverty.

Figures of children at risk of poverty in the other five geographical districts are all under 20%, the lowest being the South Eastern and South Western districts at 17.2% with localities like Zejtun, Siggiewi, Zurrieq, Rabat and Attard.

The Survey on Income and Living Conditions published by the National Statistics earlier on this year said that 66% of children living in a household where nobody worked were at risk of poverty, suggesting that social benefits are not meeting basic needs. At greatest risk were children in single-parent households, with 57% of these, falling below the at-risk-of poverty thresh-hold.

The National Curriculum Framework that is being proposed for our schools in the coming years has been written as if these children at risk of poverty do not exist and so no policies are being created to ensure that schools make a difference in the lives of these children to lift them out of poverty.

But schools cannot address all the problems caused by poverty and government has no effective action plan to tackle the problems of poverty in our midst.

Evarist Bartolo is shadow minister for education.