Building more peaceful schools in Harare

Abstract

School discipline is a challenge worldwide. Traditionally, Zimbabwean teachers have used punitive measures to obtain the desired behaviour from learners within schooling environments. However, the global outcry against human rights violations associated with corporal punishment caused the country’s education ministry to advocate for non-punitive approaches - without providing adequate alternatives. In the sphere of restorative justice, an action research project was conducted in six primary schools, of which three formed the control group. In the other three schools where the intervention was applied, 12 teachers were involved in establishing peace-making circles and peer mediation to 9-10-year-old students. Implementation details varied amongst the schools, but generally, the children had bi-weekly opportunities through the circles to tell their peers and teachers what they were experiencing and feeling. Interviews were conducted with four teachers; questionnaires were administered to ten pupils from each of the six schools and nine parents held focus group discussions on nonviolent ways of raising children, before and after the intervention. The parents’ efforts were meant to complement teachers’ efforts in laying the foundation for the desired discipline. Thematic analysis was used on the data. The findings revealed that peace-making circles and peer mediation enabled teachers to get to know their students and to respond pre-emptively to potential problems; furthermore, classroom disruptions were reduced. Parents’ efforts created smooth communication channels between the community and the school. The study showed that restorative justice could be a promising avenue to pursue further for addressing school discipline issues.