By SCOTT MacLEOD
Nearly 400 students were ejected from schools last year for assaulting teachers.
Most were soon allowed back, but 142 were suspended and an unknown number were expelled.
The assaults are part of a pattern of growing violence in classrooms.
Almost 4000 students were "stood down" - ordered to leave school for at least a short time - last year for attacking other pupils.
Education Ministry figures obtained yesterday showed 395 stand-downs last year for attacks on teachers.
That was up 15 per cent on the previous year, despite a rise in the school roll of only 1.9 per cent, said the Act Party, which obtained the figures.
The president of the Secondary Principals Association, Paul Ferris, said he was amazed at the figures.
"I think all headmasters in the country would be concerned," he said.
"We need to get below those figures and find out what's happening in our society."
Mr Ferris said the increase in the number of students being stood down could be caused by more violence or reduced tolerance to it from schools.
Some schools have given teachers cellphones so they can call for help if attacked.
The Post Primary Teachers' Association wants teachers in remote classrooms to have phones as a health and safety measure.
PPTA president Phil Smith said violence teenagers were exposed to on television and in computer games seemed to affect their moods in the classroom.
"And those teenagers are more prepared to stand up for their rights these days.
"They are very good at telling you their rights, but not their responsibilities."
Teachers yesterday spoke of being attacked with fire and scissors.
Rotorua Girls' High School teacher Jalaja Balakrishnan's hair was set ablaze by a 13-year-old girl with a cigarette lighter on June 25.
Yesterday, she said she was "perplexed" by the attack, which led to the girl being suspended.
Ms Balakrishnan believed the growth in classroom violence was a worldwide problem caused by a change in the way young people thought.
"Teenagers have a lot of liberty now. They have a lot more rights than we had as children."
The deputy principal of Whangaroa College in Kaeo, Paul Deerness, needed treatment at a medical centre on May 7 after a student beat him up.
Mr Deerness said the boy was being dealt with in family group conferences and he did not want to discuss the specifics of the attack.
He had worked at the college for 14 years and said its only other attack happened in 1999.
"It's certainly out of character for this school - it was more to do with the character of the boy."
Act's education spokeswoman, Deborah Coddington, said the figures proved that classrooms were unsafe and she blamed Education Minister Trevor Mallard for not protecting teachers.
Mr Mallard said schools were responsible for the safety of their own teachers.
He said many efforts had been made to reduce school violence.
They included youth offending teams, a "safe students in safe schools" publication, school social workers, moves to reduce the number of suspensions and the provision of 750 special-needs teachers.
Ms Coddington said the figures showed why it was impossible to retain good teachers.
She said abolishing school zoning would help because parents would then be able to remove their children from unsafe schools.
Last year, 17,912 students were stood down, compared with 17,141 in 2001. Most stand-downs were for one (18 per cent) , two (36 per cent) or three (33 per cent) days.
More than 55 per cent of all schools had no stand-downs but 1.5 per cent had 4306 between them - just under a quarter of all cases.
Stood down
A stand-down is the formal removal of a student from school for a specified period.
Assault on staff 395
Assault on student 3998
Arson 86
Drugs 1077
Sexual harassment 114
Sexual misconduct 96
Weapons 148
Source: Education Ministry figures for 2002
Herald Feature: Education
Teachers face rise in class violence
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.