Universities have a role to play to stem school violence
In recent years, serious incidents of violence have occurred and been reported within educational institutions in most countries, affecting both secondary schools and universities. These unacceptable acts of violence have plunged various educational communities into mourning.
In addition to what we have heard is happening in the United States and various countries in Europe and Latin America, we must regret that serious incidents have occurred in cities in the north and south of Chile, including recurring incidents in Santiago and the metropolitan region.
Added to this is the high prevalence of violence within families – which has become apparent in recent years – and a persistent and ongoing sense of isolation and loneliness among our students, which creates a vicious circle of increasing isolation alongside a growing rise in mental health issues among young people. While rates were higher during the pandemic, they have remained at high levels.
These behaviours have emerged gradually; they form part of a spectrum that can begin with minor breaches of language etiquette and rules of student conduct, progress to verbal abuse, threats and insults, and escalate into acts of physical violence, and, as we have seen, even culminate in criminal acts of extreme gravity.
These acts can begin as micro-violence, public shaming, bullying in schools and universities and gender-based violence and discrimination and can escalate to threats and even acts of violence against teachers, including acts of anarchic and uncontrolled violence witnessed in schools and universities.
This anarchic violence, linked to certain ideologically driven and extremist political movements – with external participation and influences involving individuals from outside educational communities – has been responsible for increasingly serious incidents that endanger the lives of members of these communities.
This has occurred at school and university level, affecting officials from various levels of government, including ministers, vice-chancellors and prominent university lecturers, which has generated widespread condemnation across the country. These situations require the development of various strategies for education, prevention, management and punishment of those responsible.
Society-wide concern
In Chile, there has been a significant and wide-ranging national debate regarding the measures to be taken to address this situation. Recently, the government has published a law on school coexistence, with provisions scheduled to enter into force on 1 July 2026. It aims to strengthen duties around good treatment, well-being and the prevention and eradication of bullying, discrimination and violence in educational communities.
The installation of metal detectors in schools, police patrols in neighbourhoods adjacent to schools and the active involvement of the justice system, among other measures, have also been proposed.
While acknowledging that in some extreme situations, such as those described, the punitive measures outlined in the draft bill and the involvement of the police and the justice system are appropriate and necessary, a more fundamental approach is undoubtedly required, one that enables prevention, education and the avoidance of future acts of violence.
It is important to remember that a student expelled from the education system ends up on the streets, which can lead to drug dealing, permanent withdrawal from the school system and the long and irreversible path towards crime and violence.
Prevention and education
It is therefore important to emphasise that preventive and long-term measures are crucial. These must include engaging with students who have risk factors, including those from dysfunctional families, those with a history of domestic violence, young people from the most vulnerable segments of the population, and, in general, those with weaker family and community support networks.
These students must be supported by educating, supporting and strengthening families, and particularly by providing special support to students who have felt very isolated during this time, ensuring they do not become cut off from their family and social circles.
Alongside this, it is important to provide them with support to control their impulses and to develop their character in positive ways. A crucial and fundamental aspect is working to strengthen parental authority at home and to restore the leadership of teachers in schools and universities.
There is no doubt that we must work towards greater discipline in schools, strengthening psychological support for students and providing renewed and innovative mental health support, particularly in the areas of education and prevention.
The most sustainable and long-lasting measures will be those that focus on education and prevention alongside greater measures to include and support students from vulnerable backgrounds. We must be aware that the education system is highly segregated, perpetuating disparities and a lack of development opportunities for significant sections of the student population.
Another aspect to consider is that today’s secondary school students will, tomorrow or very soon, be active members of university communities; therefore, education and prevention must begin early if we are to make good use of time and sow the seeds for the future. By the time these students reach university, it will already be too late to form good habits and instil a culture of respect.
The role of universities
Higher education institutions can make a significant contribution to educating students in respect, fair treatment and the prevention of both verbal abuse and violence. Firstly, through educational programmes and by incorporating subjects related to these issues into the curriculum of degree courses in psychology, sociology, political science, law, the humanities, the arts and all related disciplines.
Likewise, research areas relating to social cohesion, university life, the work of teachers in schools and, in general, all interdisciplinary work that promotes coexistence, respectful dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts should be strengthened. Furthermore, with the aim of strengthening universities’ links with the wider community, workshops and activities that promote dialogue, the rejection of violent attitudes, and education in conflict resolution within communities can have a significant impact on society.
The future
The situation described here is of great significance and represents one of the main challenges facing education today. We need to create educational communities characterised by dialogue, respect and harmony, with active participation and respect for diversity of opinion, academic freedom and freedom of expression within educational institutions.
When drafting and implementing our educational project, due consideration must be given to the rights and responsibilities of students and all members of the educational community, with a view to ensuring respect for the dignity of everyone within that community.
In short, there is no doubt that the key element, the foundation and the main measures in addressing and managing the situation described above are greater involvement in and a stronger role for the family in closely supporting students. Furthermore, it is essential to strengthen and support the authority of teachers, for which continuing professional development programmes on these issues are important.
Today, we are facing a loss of authority in the home and at school, which leaves students grappling with a lack of boundaries that unsettles and disorients them. This situation can provide a valuable opportunity to revisit and reinforce the crucial concept of duties and rights, addressing boundaries and respect among those of us who share the experience of an educational community. This is a key period in the education of young people, in their personal development and in the building of the society of the future.
Professor Ignacio Sánchez is the former rector of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, in Santiago, Chile.