Berlin, June 22, (dpa/GNA) – Violence and bullying have become part of everyday life at many Berlin schools, according to a study presented by the education minister in the city’s administration, Katharina Günther-Wünsch, who described the findings as a clear warning signal.
According to the representative survey for the “Berlin Conflict and Violence Barometer” published on Monday, 38% of teachers and educational staff perceive violence among pupils as a major problem, with 18% describing it as a very major problem.
This is consistent with the accounts of pupils themselves. The spectrum of violent experiences ranges from insults to hitting, kicking and beating. This is particularly evident in the responses of ninth-grade pupils, when asked about such experiences in the current or previous school year.
Nearly two thirds (63%) reported being insulted, and nearly half (49%) said they had been ridiculed or humiliated by classmates. Around one in four said they had been excluded or bullied (26%) or hit, kicked or punched (25%). Some 4% reported having been beaten up.
Violence at school is not an isolated case. “When more than half of teachers perceive violence and conflict at their schools as a major or very major problem, we are not talking about isolated cases,” Günther-Wünsch said. “When four in five teachers say that pupils’ frustration, tolerance and impulse control have declined, and that conflicts escalate more quickly, that is a clear warning signal.”
GNA