Schools have not become war zones, managers’ conference told

SCHOOLS have not become war zones, a school managers’ conference heard yesterday.

Discipline problems are on the increase but schools are not experiencing mayhem, the Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools (AMCSS) heard.

Principals rejected some teachers’ claims that law and order had broken down in schools.

Conceding, however, that there were problems with disruptive students, the association expressed fears that the recommendations of a major task force on school discipline will not be fully implemented.

Behaviour in the classroom has become a key issue for many schools, the conference was told.

Association president Paul Meany said stress caused by a minority of students to teachers and other students was on the increase.

Recent surveys have shown that around two-thirds of second-level teachers regularly experience insolence or other forms of poor behaviour from students.

Dr Maeve Martin, chairperson of the task force on school behaviour, acknowledged that problems created by small numbers of disruptive students were increasing.

However, in her keynote address, she said that to suggest there was a war zone or mayhem in schools would not be correct.

Problems created by troublesome students, she said, included non-stop talking, ignoring the teacher, refusal to obey instructions, shouting, bullying, threats, assaults, theft and sexual remarks.

Dr Martin, from NUI Maynooth, also emphasised that the student in the “classroom today was in a markedly different situation from the student of a decade ago”.

She added: “There are students from other cultures and some with special educational needs all sitting down together.

“This development has occurred very rapidly. Provision has to be made for that. To provide for the needs of all students, equally, is a tremendous challenge requiring a variety of resources.”

The AMCSS represents almost 400 Catholic secondary schools and some delegates expressed concern there could be ‘cherry picking’ of the task force’s recommendations and that recommendations that cost money may not be implemented.

With the AMCSS strongly supporting the task force, Mr Meany told delegates the association was committed to respecting the rights of all students.

He referred to some “extremely graphic and disturbing” examples of breakdowns in discipline — highlighted at recent teacher union conferences — especially in schools in areas of extreme deprivation.

“However, the danger is that the general public will extrapolate from these examples and make the assumption that discipline in schools is breaking down,” he said. “I do not believe that this is so.”

According to Education Minister Mary Hanafin, €2 million is being spent this year on implementing the recommendations of the task force.