ZAGREB, December 16, 2018 – Education Minister Blaženka Divjak said on Saturday an action plan to prevent school violence would be made, adding that she supported warning about violence and that education and responsibility were the best prevention.
She was speaking on the occasion of a rally in Zagreb at which thousands of teachers demanded “safe schools without violence.”
“I applaud and support the pointing to the importance of dealing with the problem of violence in schools and society. However, it is important that we are careful about the messages we send. We must remember that violence has never stamped out violence, and research proves that crucial in preventing violence is education and the responsibility of parents and schools as well as the inclusion of all relevant institutions and stakeholders,” Divjak said in a press release.
The minister said she had convened a meeting to draw up a new action plan for the prevention of violence in schools which would include a change of the legal framework, the education of and a support system for teachers and parents.
Over the past 18 months, the ministry has significantly increased investments in education and programmes for the prevention of violence in schools, and it will increase funding for projects supporting violence-free schools, said Divjak.
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