The rising levels of violence in schools around Papua New Guinea is a serious problem, reaching heights that beg for a more proactive, broader national approach to dealing with, and combating violence in our schools today.
The national approach should start with the government having to include school violence on their political agendas and bring together a broad set of stakeholders with combined efforts to combat violence in our schools. In achieving the Millennium Development Goals, all efforts must be put into providing an environment that is free from all forms of violence and promoting and ensuring universal education to all children in PNG. Violence in schools is seen as one of the most visible forms of violence against children; and schools aren’t able to function as they should, nor fulfil their roles in society when continuously battling the on-going issue of school violence. Schools are places of learning and socialisation; but with violence thriving in our learning institutions, the future of this nation, is being compromised and prone to repression, intimidation and bullying. More recently, the second largest city of PNG, Lae, has witnessed a wave of violence, with negative impacts that have gone far beyond the classrooms and play grounds. Three students have already been tragically killed, classes closed, lessons missed, reputations tarnished and the city, thrown into uncertainty and fear over the violence displayed by adolescent teenagers. School violence is affecting the lives of students, teaching staff, families, communities, the city, Province and country as a whole; and concerned citizens are now calling upon the government of the day to prioritize on addressing school violence at the highest level. The right to a child’s education and the promise and potential that comes with it is being undermined by pain, trauma, fear, anxiety and insecurity. Violence or the threat of violence is keeping children out of school. The end result – a child’s right and education opportunity and the benefits of being educated is not realised; in the long run, not only will this child suffer from missed opportunities, but so will the family, the society and on a wider scale, the country, where just as a light of a lamp is put out, so too is this child’s future. Lae MP Loujaya Kouza has now called upon all Morobe politicians to create a committee to look into the ongoing fights in Lae city schools; stating that efforts taken by the authorities in Lae are isolated and have achieved poor results. Kouza’s outlook on the situation is to have avenues established where students can actively participate. “We really got to know what their shortfall is, efforts by the administration have been isolated, achieving poor results", the Lae MP said.
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