Mahmoud Ahmad

The murder of a physical education teacher by a student in Jazan has refocused the spotlight on the issue of violence against teachers. Muhammad Burnawi, the victim, was attacked by one of his students inside the classroom using a sharp item that the student had smuggled into class. Burnawi was stabbed several times and rushed to the hospital for treatment. He died a few hours later. The victim was then buried in his hometown in Makkah while police are still investigating to find out the motive behind the murder.



When I was studying in America, I read a lot about violence in schools and how some of the schools, especially in poor neighborhoods, became not a safe place anymore for students and teachers. In some schools metal detectors were installed at the entrance to search each student for weapons.



I remember arguing with one of my teachers on how could students gain education at these schools when there was no security and students were treated like criminals. Metal detectors only indicated that there were weapons carried by students and the school was using preventive measures to stop them from being smuggled in. Well if a high school student knows a lot about weapons then why is he in school for education? I hope one day, in our schools, we will not need to install some of these machines at their entrances.



Burnawi's killing was not the first case of violence against teachers. Many cases of attacks against teachers inside and outside schools have been reported and authorities have taken action. But the incidence of such cases is on the rise. This is a dangerous phenomenon that is beginning to spread in our schools. We need to find out what is happening to our students and why most of our teachers are losing respect?



In the past, the most fearful and respected personality, apart from the elders at home, was the teacher. We were told to respect them. Their imparting of knowledge was the reason for their elevation in status. And there was a nexus between parents and teachers, and they were on one page for us students.



That instilled discipline and fear into us students. But we did know one thing, at that time, teachers, after our parents and elders, cared for us. The irony was that if and when our teachers punished us, we used to receive double punishment at home because we would be told that we must have been punished for a valid reason. Sadly, this generation of teachers rarely exists now.



One thing for sure is that teachers now have lost that respect and students no longer fear the teachers or treat the class as a house of knowledge. The simplest form of abuse is trashing the teacher’s car outside school. Often some students threaten to harm teachers outside school, even if they are verbally checked. Some educationalists say that the blame falls on the teacher for not imposing his/her strong personality and earn the respect of the students.



Some say the times have changed and students now are exposed on violence on TV, which on occasion glorifies violence, and they apply the TV-inculcated values in school. While some have even gone on to say that teachers do not care about teaching and they do not care about the message behind it — for them it is just a job. Therefore, they do not care whether the student gains knowledge and education as long as the school gives his/her salary at the end of the month.



Though teachers have a role to play in our children’s lives, I say that everything should start from home. Parents should teach their children to respect teachers and instill discipline. Parents should educate their children on the important role of a teacher in our society and development. On the teachers’ part they should make their subjects interesting and not bland to capture the students’ imagination.



In addition, their authority should be reinforced by the Ministry of Education, which should come up with tougher laws against students who show disrespect and make trouble inside the school. These laws should be formed and regulated by a committee of teachers and security officers to find the appropriate punishment for troublemakers.



This, however, should be the last resort. Before that students who make trouble should be sent for counseling. The reason for their penchant to make trouble could be many. It is not their fault that they are a product of a poor environment or a dysfunctional family.



No parents want to send their child to a school where some students are armed with dangerous weapons. No one should fear that a gang at school would attack their child. We do not want our school to look like some of the violent schools in America, which have resorted to extreme measures.



The more immediate worrisome factor for me is the fact that the Burnawi incident could play on people’s mind in the school. I wonder how the students at the school where Burnawi was killed will get pure education knowing that one of the students was a killer and the victim a teacher? Before we get further posers, we should act now before it is too late.



— Mahmoud Ahmad can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa