The Ministry of Education. No clear policy.
Photo: Gil Yohanan
New survey shows worrying levels of school violence in Israel
Over 26,000 Israeli students gave their reports, indicating that 12 of those in the 4th-6th grades being victims of serious violence. 4% of 10th-11th graders have brought some kind of knife to school.
The Education Ministry's annual survey on violence in Israeli schools has been published recently, and it reveals that 12% of students from fourth to sixth grade reported being victims of severe violence (strong physical strikes, threats, and extortion), as well as 8% of students from grades seven to nine, and 6% of tenth and eleventh graders.
The survey is based on answers given by 26,136 Israeli elementary, middle, and high school students. 25% of those in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades reported being victims of more moderate violence, as well as 18% of seventh to ninth graders, and 11% of tenth and eleventh graders.
4% of 10th and 11th graders have brough a knife to school. (Photo: Index Open)
"Children are affected by the level of violence in society," explained Professor Revital Sela-Shayovitz of the David Yellin Academic College, an expert in the field of violence and addiction among teenagers, "And even so, most teachers haven't been trained to handle violence and have a hard time taking care of violent students and their victims."
Of the those surveyed in the tenth and eleventh grades, 4% reported carrying a knife or pocket knife into school, with 3% of seventh to ninth graders and 1% of fourth to sixth graders reporting the same.
10% of those in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades have reported being victims of sexual violence – defined as an attempt at causing harm, either physically or verbally, which has sexual aspects. The rate increases in the seventh to ninth graders group, standing at 17%, with tenth and eleventh grade students reporting rates of 16%. 4% of the whole student population reported hearing sexually-related comments by school staff, and 3% reported that school staff members had attempted to sexually touch them in the past.
The students' answers regarding alcohol consumption show how common it is. 47% of tenth and eleventh graders admitted to drinking beverages with a high alcohol content (such as vodka), and 41% reported drinking low-alcohol-content beverages (such as beer). 25% of the students in this group said they had become drunk in the past.
14% of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders have drunk high-alcohol-content drinks. (Photo: PR)
Among seventh to ninth grade students, 14% reported having drunk high-alcoholic-content beverages, with 20% having drunk those with low alcohol levels. Among fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, 6% reported drinking high-alcohol-content beverages, with 10% having drung low-alcohol-content beverages.
In addition, 7% of tenth and eleventh grade students reported consuming recreational drugs such as marijuana, with 3% reporting consumption of harder drugs such as ecstasy.
The figures don't seem to surprise psychologist Professor Leehu Zysberg, Head of the Research Authority at Gordon College of Education in Haifa. "We are a violent and less and less tolerant society. The Education Ministry doesn’t really have effective tools to treat violent incidents, and you can't blame the teachers and principles – there's no clear policy given by the Ministry of Education," he said.
