Children’s rights activists urge authorities to increase safety measures at schools after three violent incidents in one week shock the public.The last case happened on Thursday, in the “Kole Nedelkovski” high school in Veles when a 17-year-old student was stabbed by a pupil from another school.
Police said the boy's life was not in danger. But the fact that it was the third unrelated case of school violence this week has caused concern among teachers and education experts.
On Wednesday, an 18-year-old boy was stabbed in the leg in the courtyard of the “Brakja Miladinovci” high school in Skopje.
Earlier, on Monday, a group of minors interrupted a class in the “Marie Curie” high school in Skopje, inflicting knife wounds to a teacher and a student and beating up several others.
Police identified nine suspects in the latter case and have apprehended six. Initial police reports indicate that the reason for the fight was an argument over a girlfriend.
The Skopje-based children's right group, First Children's Embassy in the World "Megjashi", says violence in schools is on the increase and urges the authorities to step up safety measures in schools.
"Securing schools and school yards can help reduce such cases,CHILDREN"S EMBASSY "Megjashi" told Balkan Insight. The group advises authorities to consider new preventive measures as well. “We need to educate teachers on how to prevent and deal with conflicts," the group said.
The principal of the “Rade Jovcevski-Korcagin” high school in Skopje, Dragan Arsovski, says they have employed private security guards since 2005 to prevent violence. “This does not guarantee 100-per-cent protection but it helps a lot," he said.
After the latest incidents, Arsovski said he plans to increase security in his school. He aims to employ security guards for longer at school and to ask the board of parents and his municipality, which finances security, to employ more security guards.
First Children's Embassy “Megjashi” warns that the root of the problem lies in the parents and the lack of proper communication between them and their children. "This leads to aggression, loneliness and alienation" among children, they said.
The Association of High School Psychologists and Pedagogues said it will discuss the recent incidents this week.
Journalist, Sinisa Jakov Marusic
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/violence-in-macedonian-schools-raises-alarm
04.02.2011
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