School Violence in Rural Areas

Violence of any form is not confined only to the cities or urban areas. But many people have this common misconception that it is the students of the cities who are prone to be aggressive and develop an arrogant attitude. However if look into the statistics there are numerous cases of violent behavior and actions carried out by the students belonging to villages and rural areas. It may be true to an extent that urban students have all the possibilities to get into bad activities but it is also true that rural areas are also contributing to a greater extent in school violence.

 

Reports and surveys suggest that small schools have begun to take their share in school violence as well. Almost thirty percent of the rural area schools have reported problems regarding violence in their premises. Some of the illegal activities that were reported are burglary, physical abuse and even murder. Also most of the students in these small schools are drug addicts as well. There have been reports of some children getting into unethical actions like sexual harassment and other sex related activities. The schools these days are absolutely pathetic and they are doing harm rather than benefiting the students.

 

You may feel that the improvements in science and technology in the modern era would be the main reason for students in small schools to turn aggressive because they have the same amount of access to things as that of a city student. But let me tell you that a survey conducted way back in the year 1992 by the National Center for Education reported that there were many cases of violence in the rural schools. They also claimed that many of the cases were left unattended or not disclosed to the government. These reports were made on the basis of the perception of the teaching staffs in these rural area schools.

 

Another report by the California Department of Education, United States of America suggests that small schools contribute about twenty one percent of the total cases of school violence in the whole country. They also claimed that the degree of violence has increased by at least 16% over a period of four years (1989-1992). Another accusation by this department was that students in these schools had easy access to weapons just like the schools in the urban areas. There was another scintillating report on the possession of weapons by these small school students. They reported that there was whopping 28% increase in the possession of weapons by these students when compared with 1989 and 1992.

 

These numbers suggest one thing to us. Schools are not safe these days, be it a small school or a large school. They are absolutely unsafe for children to grow in a healthy environment. However schools can be made a better place with proper administration and laws that strictly forbid any illegal actions carried out by students inside the school premises. The role of parents and teachers are also equally important in putting an end to school violence.