Building peace via school peace clubs in Umlazi, eThekwini region

Abstract

School violence stands is a pressing global concern, notably within the South African educational framework, with a particular focus on secondary schools. Existing literature and media representations have attempted to illuminate the disconcerting prevalence of violence within the high school setting. The causal factors underpinning this phenomenon are multi-faceted, encompassing aspects such as the geographical context of the school's location and the internal school environment itself. Additionally, the family and community setting assume a significant role in exacerbating incidents of school violence. The harmful repercussions on the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of both educators and learners have been extensively documented, observed, and experienced. Consequently, the effect of this issue necessitates the implementation of evidence-based interventions grounded in developmental principles. This research study, therefore, adopted an evidence-based approach in its efforts to mitigate the pervasive culture of school violence within four high schools situated in the Umlazi District of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. To acquire baseline data, a questionnaire was administered to 603 learners. Subsequently, a series of interviews were conducted with four parents, seven teachers, and eight security personnel to gain deeper insights into the intricate dynamics of school violence. Following this phase, a Peace Club for twenty-eight learners was established within three participating schools, serving as a dedicated platform for learners to articulate their concerns. Regrettably, one of the four schools opted to discontinue its involvement in the study. In the remaining three schools, learners were actively engaged in a six-month series of focus group discussions. The findings unveiled a distressing pattern of recurrent violence within the vicinity of these schools. Predominantly, manifestations of violence encompassed threats, physical assaults, and theft. Moreover, learners frequently reported instances of verbal abuse perpetrated by educators. The causal factors of school violence were identified as stemming from various sources, including social media, drug and substance abuse, community, and family-related influences. Drawing upon the principles of Action Research, participants from two distinct Peace Clubs voluntarily undertook the task of formulating peace projects tailored to their respective schools. Unfortunately, one school decided to not formulate a peace project. Through the implementation of these peace projects, heightened awareness concerning school violence was created, underscored by an increased emphasis on the importance of a positive learning environment. This process demonstrated that even schools facing resource constraints can successfully initiate and sustain social initiatives. Notably, an observable improvement in learner behaviour was reported, thus substantiating the contention that viable solutions to complex issues can indeed originate at the grassroots level. Considering these outcomes, it is advisable to consider the effectiveness of Peace Clubs in mitigating school violence, with the added benefit of requiring relatively modest resource allocation in these strained economic conditions.