ABSTRACT

The goal of this study, “The Impact of School Violence on Educational Quality: Case of the Secondary Schools of the West Area, Cameroon,” was to determine how much school violence affects student outcomes and educational quality in a few selected secondary schools in Cameroon’s west region. The study uses a quantitative survey research design. In the Bamboutos, Mifi, Menoua, Poumougne, and Upper-Plateau Subdivisions, there were 100 schools. Five private schools and five mission schools make up the sample. To choose the various schools, multistage, basic, and stratified random selection approaches were employed. The simple random selection approach and the purposive sampling technique were both used to choose a sample of 100 students from three different secondary schools. A student questionnaire with both closed- and open-ended responses was the study tool employed. In terms of the field survey, information was gathered using a self-structured “Educational Quality Questionnaire (EQQ) Tests and Measures” worksheet. With the use of correlation, model summary, ANOVA, simple coefficients and percentages, bar and pie charts, and Pearson product correlation, the acquired data were examined using SPSS version 23.0. The study found that bullying, psychological violence, and their combination with the first two had a significant influence on student engagement, teacher efficacy, and, ultimately, educational quality. Sexual violence and physical violence did not have as significant an impact on educational quality. Following this study’s findings, the following suggestions were made: The 1998 Cameroonian school orientation law requires updating. It should primarily consist of choices that can improve the respect for the rights of the kid and the worth of the instructor. Philosophy and civics courses should also be evaluated, and their coefficient should be raised. Particularly in public schools, it is critical to bolster the security system and establish support and conflict management units. It is wise for MINESEC to develop an action plan with assistance from other ministries and to plan its execution using the RACI matrix tool.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Hell Riegel, D., and Slocum, J. (2014) have provided a thorough understanding and definition of conflict as the process through which one party (individual or group) judges and condemns the fact that another party opposes or undermines their interests. This concept includes a wide range of competing issues and events and suggests an incompatibility of concerns between those involved. This claim is supported by the conflict idea that J. Redorta developed back in 2004. Four authors stand out to him as the greatest sources of conflicts: Freud’s conflict between desire and prohibition; Darwin’s conflict between the environment and the person; Marx’s conflict between social classes; and Bell’s conflict in experimental decision-making (Piaget). However, when a person interacts with a different person or the environment, that person becomes the starting point of the conflict.

The terrorist act on September 11, 2001, is one of the incidents in which we observe the manifestation of these four forms of conflicts. Indeed, Americans watched in horror as terrorist strikes that claimed more than 3,000 lives in a short amount of time after years of aggressive presence in Afghanistan and many other Middle Eastern nations. Even worse, these attacks sent shockwaves of despair, dread, rage, and worry through the American population, especially the young. Until this day, the populace has been overcome with a sense of unease (Landrigan, P., 2001; Wilkins, G. & Ellsworth M., 2002; Redorta, J., 2004; Hartig, H. & Doherty, C., 2021).

In fact, thousands of men have perished in battle, thousands of women have been abandoned in misery, thousands of children have been forced into the practice of vandalism and then civil war due to the institutionalization of child soldiers, and teachers who are supposed to mediate through self-efficacy are upset. (J. Ntuda, 2006) Conflict is a reality for Africans, as seen by the situations in Rwanda, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, Sudan, and Mali, to name just a few.  (Touraine, A., 1975; Wieviorka, M., 1997; Gaud, M., 2004; Debarbieux, E., 2006; McCold, P., 2007; Metzger, J.-L., 2011; Ekah, R., 2020). How about our nation? Since the beginning of Boko Haram in 2013 and the onset of the Anglophone issue in 2017, Cameroon has also experienced conflicts. Africa as a whole falls and slouches under the weight of wars and inherent violence.

As a result, our society is disorganized, communities are tense with fear, families are deeply hurt by the violent deaths of their loved ones, educational facilities are shut down, students are left to wander and exposed to various forms of delinquency under the helpless watch of educators, and our society as a whole is in disarray (Abdouraman, H., 2008; Nguiffo, S., 2013; Ekah, R., 2020). The school climate and environment are being gravely harmed by violence, which has a negative impact on educational quality.

According to recent estimates from Plan International, 246 million boys and girls experience school-related violence each year based on the number of students affected by physical verbal bullying, a widespread form of violence in schools (Plan International, 2013). 40% of French pupils claim to have experienced cyberbullying (Blaya, 2013). In Zambia, 61% of students said that they had experienced bullying in the previous month (Fleming and Jacobsen, 2010). Additionally, millions of children worldwide endure physical abuse at school under the pretense of discipline. More than half of all children live in nations where corporal punishment is not legally prohibited (UNESCO, 2014b).

The prevalence of violence in schools continues to be a unique and global problem (Debarbieux E., 2015). In Cameroon, this hostile environment in schools actually makes it very difficult to pursue happiness (SDGs 3). As a result, the deterioration of the socio-educational system and the rise in software poverty have an unmistakable effect on the comfort of our human capital. As a result, these two scourges (the fruit and root of school violence) undermine numerous other sustainable development goals (SDGs 1, 4, 8 & 16). This study investigates the relationship between violence and educational quality in secondary schools in Cameroon, focusing on how violence affects student learning outcomes and teacher efficacy.

1.1 Background of the Study

1.1.1 Historical Background

It is appropriate for us to emphasize important passages from Law No. 98/004 of April 4, 1998 on the Direction of Education in Cameroon at this point:

Educating students for their intellectual, physical, civic, and moral growth as well as for a successful integration into society while taking into account economic, sociocultural, political, and moral considerations is the general purpose of education. (4th Article)

The same statement asserts that students’ physical and moral integrity is protected by the educational system and condemns physical abuse and all other types of violence, as well as any form of discrimination and the sale, distribution, and use of alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics in schools (Article 35). According to this statement, “the teacher is the primary guarantor of the quality of education. As a result, he has the right to proper living conditions as well as suitable starting and ongoing training, within the constraints of available resources (Article 371).

According to SDG 4, all students must be able to grow to their full potential, and these many claims need a particular equilibrium in the learning environment. Despite the fact that this phenomenon is well acknowledged, relatively little research has been done on it, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and more specifically in Cameroon (Van Meenen, 2014). While we typically do not find any follow-up of the delinquents or scientific explanations on the basic reasons of the violent episodes, the salient facts, such as the murders committed in the social environment, are conveyed in a timely and occasionally anecdotal fashion on social networks (Lanoué, E.). Due to this, the phenomenon of violence in the classroom, as Feuzeu, F. (2022), recently described in his article on school violence, is constantly present in our classrooms.

1.1.2 Conceptual Background

Understanding the issue of school violence requires knowledge of the intellectual underpinnings of education. It is possible to describe the notion in this sense as a collection of theories or convictions that serve as the foundation for a certain way of thinking or acting. Although school violence is not a new phenomenon and has existed for a very long time, it now has a new depth and severity. It is a problem that predates the development of education itself. Although school violence is not a new phenomenon and has existed for a very long time, it now has a new depth and severity. It is a problem that needs to be addressed by school administrators, parents, and teachers at all levels of the educational system. The intellectual underpinnings of school violence in respect to its causes, effects, and implications will be the main emphasis of the study. It also offers a few feasible options for remedies.

1.1.3 Theoretical Background

• There are numerous other theories that have been put forth to explain school violence. We’ll talk about the following hypotheses to give you an idea of how academics have addressed this subject:
• – General Theories: These theories take a more broad view of the social phenomenon of school violence and provide justifications that hold true in a variety of educational settings.
• – Specific Theories: These theories concentrate on particular elements or forms of school violence and offer justifications for those instances.

1.1.4 Contextual Background

Since the country’s independence, there have been two distinct educational systems in existence, signifying the unification of West and East Cameroon. By 1976, these two systems had been combined, however research indicates that the integration wasn’t successful. Education’s organizational structures continue to be at odds with one another despite the harmonization principles. Over the years, curriculums have been developed, but due to political roadblocks, technological difficulties, and financial setbacks, they have never been put into use (Tosam, 1988; Ngalim, 2014; Ndille, 2019). According to Ngalim (2014), Cameroon’s bicultural environment and a lack of political will make educational reforms difficult. Mission schools have played a significant role in the educational system, but given their high tuition costs, most students are forced to enroll in government schools instead (Karugu, 2020; Ndame, 2019).  The two languages were kept as the official languages of the federated nations at the Foumban Conference in July 1961. (Tangwe & Kiawi, 2014). However, because the country operates mostly in French and because all circulars and decisions are made in that language, including in administration, English continues to be nonexistent in official circles, which has caused a sense of exclusion in the English zone.

Our nation is dealing with major issues with discipline, performance, and commitment in schools that have turned into battle camps where the law of the strongest prevails as in a jungle, as was noted in the historical background. This study is actually part of a larger policy environment where it is illegal to use violence against children and adolescents both internationally and domestically.

The preservation and advancement of children’s rights is seen as a norm on a global scale (UDHR 1948; EFA 2005; Mumthass, Munavirr, Gafoor, 2014; EFA, 2005; Dakar Framework for Action UNESCO, 2000). The values and meanings that influence conduct in varied social contexts require sensitive and thorough explanations for both violent and peaceful social interaction (Bowling & Hershcovis, 2017).

Authorities in Cameroon work to enhance education policy at the national level by guaranteeing the quality of service delivery, more fair distribution of learning opportunities, and stronger incentives for increased schooling effectiveness (OECD, 2010). The Cameroonian educational community has worked hard over the years to preserve all parts of education through legislation and implement high-quality instruction that is completely free of violence. It relates to the National Educational Guidelines of Cameroon No. 98/004 of 1998.

Cameroon does not, in theory, support any kind of violence. Nonetheless, families, relatives, instructors, and communities that use violence against them as a form of punishment frequently subject children and teens who are enrolled in school in Cameroon to a high level of physical and other forms of violence (Ghorab & Al- Khaldi, 2014). Violence in educational settings is generally accepted and permitted because there is no rights-oriented system that fosters the growth of civil society and a fundamental regard for human dignity that ensures the protection of fundamental rights, liberty, and the rule of law (Dicklitch, 2002)..

Only in the absence of violence can the idea of quality education be realized. Therefore, it is vital to look into how students’ cognitive outcomes, self-concepts, and accomplishments are impacted by school violence. The prohibition of violence is essential for social justice, empowerment, and democratic participation, in addition to its effects on the learning process (Agbenyenga, 2006).