Many teachers in NRW experience violence at schools
The North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Education, Dorothee Feller, has expressed concern about a survey according to which more than half of the teachers surveyed have already been the victim of verbal or physical violence at school. "Anyone who becomes violent is violating one of the very central basic rules of our coexistence. That is why we will not accept violence in any form at our schools," said the CDU politician on Friday.
In a survey of almost 1,500 teachers conducted by the NRW Philology Association (PHV), 53% of grammar school teachers and 76% of comprehensive school teachers stated that they themselves had been affected by verbal or physical violence in the past three years. Eight percent (grammar school) and twelve percent (comprehensive school) reported physical assaults, while four and five percent respectively reported sexualized violence.
According to the survey, many teachers were also affected by verbal abuse (33 percent at grammar schools and 25 percent at comprehensive schools), threats (16 and 18 percent) and online attacks (13 and 10 percent). Many reported a worsened subjective feeling of safety. PHV state chairwoman Sabine Mistler spoke of shocking figures and descriptions that clearly showed that something urgently needs to happen.
The NRW Ministry of Education stated that schools could call on support at any time. For example, the emergency folders "Look and act" and a crisis prevention handbook, which was updated in the spring, are available. The ministry also referred to the "#sicherimDienst" prevention network for the protection of employees in the public sector and the range of telephone-based school psychology advice centers ("Sprech:ZEIT 24/7").
In the survey, teachers expressed the wish for fixed local contacts and quick, consistent action and the hope that existing problems would not be swept under the carpet.
The concern expressed by the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Education, Dorothee Feller, extends to all teachers working in schools within the region, as the survey revealed that a significant number of them have experienced violence at their places of work. In an effort to address this issue, the NRW Ministry of Education has made resources available to schools, such as emergency folders, crisis prevention handbooks, and school psychology advice centers.
Source: www.dpa.com
