Gun violence and class suspensions

The two biggest stories in education over the past week were the random shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga and the floods that brought misery to many Filipinos and led to ongoing class suspensions.

Both events trended on social media, and the usual finger-pointing between the government and its critics continued for a week.

It’s perplexing how an academically strong Grade 8 student at Ateneo de Zamboanga, as described by teachers, could livestream himself shooting other students and then end his own life by turning the gun on himself.

While these shootings have occurred frequently in US schools, they have now hit home and caught everyone off guard. Politicians have begun making the usual proposals to curb students’ access to social media, tighten gun regulations, investigate school security systems and require fences, metal detectors and CCTV cameras on school grounds.

The most troubling response came from the President’s backyard, where Claire Castro stated that parents and schools share responsibility for guiding youth and preventing violence. She also said some teachers allegedly failed to teach respect and proper behavior. Although she might have been referring to an earlier event in which students heckled and insulted PBBM during his visit to Calinan National High School in Davao City, linking that incident to the shooting tragedy was insulting to teachers.

And then Castro stood by her statement and refused to apologize.

Why does this government keep blaming teachers for issues in Philippine education? Don’t they recall the saying that when you point a finger, four fingers point back at you?

Expecting teachers to be stewards and to control gun violence in schools is a crazy idea. Even in the US, teachers are not expected to be at the forefront of this issue. It is treated as a law-and-order issue and a police matter.

Expecting teachers to double as guidance counselors to spot problematic students and deter school shootings is equally crazy.

It is impossible to pinpoint a single critical trigger that causes a student to shoot classmates and then harm themselves. School shootings stem from a complex combination of multiple factors.

A recurring finding across many school shootings around the world is that the perpetrators suffer from mental health problems.

But there are also other elements, such as socio-cultural dynamics (bullying, harassment, social exclusion, harsh disciplinary policies) and environmental access to lethal means (access to firearms and gun ownership).

Preventing school shootings demands collaboration across multiple sectors and agencies to tackle the root causes of violence. An essential first step is increasing investment in mental health services. But is DepEd capable of filling the needed 4,000 guidance counselor positions nationwide?

Schools can develop programs that teach students to evaluate media content and recognize the potential impact of violence on their behavior. These programs will empower students to be more discerning and make more informed choices about the content they share on social media.

We must foster a positive school climate that encourages empathy and respect. But is it possible to achieve this without first building the 160,000 classrooms that are needed?

We have a long way to go. We can start by stopping the casting of aspersions on teachers and creating a safer, more secure environment for our students.

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The continuous monsoon rains that have flooded much of Luzon have caused nearly two weeks of repeated class cancellations. DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara expressed his regret over the blanket suspensions enforced by many local authorities, noting that although safety is essential, broad shutdowns affecting entire cities are unnecessary when some campuses are dry and safe to operate.

Former NEDA secretary Karl Chua weighed in on the debate, warning that blanket class suspensions could harm long-term economic growth by worsening the learning crisis and negatively impacting student development.

Both Angara and Chua called for decentralizing class-cancellation decisions to schools, since they know the conditions on the ground better.

I agree with this proposal, with several caveats.

The capacity of school authorities to decentralize class suspensions varies markedly between basic and higher education. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have managed this efficiently since the pandemic. Universities have invested in technology, developed teachers’ capacity for synchronous and asynchronous instruction and students are adept at using technology for learning. In fact, many argue that HEIs have too many breaks (there is even a wellness/mental break after examination week) and that students keep demanding more. In short, HEIs do not need to suspend classes. They just adjust to local conditions as needed.

Elementary and high schools, especially public schools, are a different matter. The learning crisis caused by schools’ inability to train teachers, provide devices and develop modules during the pandemic is well documented. Basic education delivery remains face-to-face. Weather disturbances cancel classes and interrupt learning.

Will decentralizing decision-making make a difference? It depends. It can give school authorities greater flexibility if they have access to accurate data and proper training to make informed decisions. However, in densely populated areas where schools are close to each other, closing one school while another remains open can cause confusion and harm students.

Without the capacity to make informed decisions and without increased investments in technology and teacher training to enable schools to continue learning even during typhoons, giving them this power might create more problems than solutions.