At least one in seven students doesn't feel safe at school

At least one out of seven students does not feel safe at school due to the fact that one student inflicts bodily harm to another, uses abusive language, and other forms of bullying.

According to the Institute for Macroeconomic and Territorial Studies, among the types of bullying, extortion has the greatest impact on students' academic performance. It is said that this will lead to a decrease in students' grades in mathematics, reading and natural sciences.

It is known that in 2022, schools in Uzbekistan participated in the PISA program for assessing the knowledge of 15-year-old students for the first time, ranking 72nd among 81 countries in mathematics and 80th in natural sciences and reading literacy. 7,293 students from 202 schools participated in it.

The international student assessment program PISA provides a comprehensive review of educational outcomes and allows for an objective assessment of existing factors.

This study, conducted by the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies using the results of the PISA 2022 questionnaire, was aimed at analyzing the main factors hindering students' access to education in Uzbekistan, particularly the school environment - bullying, security, and discipline.

According to a survey of school administrators, unscheduled school dropouts (26 per cent), alcohol or prohibited drug use (26 per cent), and poor teacher preparation (25 per cent) have a serious negative impact on students' learning at school.

It was also found that other factors related to the school environment, such as students' intimidation or violence against other students (20%) and teachers' being too harsh on students (8%), can also have a negative impact on the learning process.

Feeling safe at school

Among the problems in school, there are also conflict (31%), infliction of bodily harm by one student to another (21%), use of insulting words (21%), and other vices related to hooliganism.

More students said that they do not feel safe in the school area. For example:

Corridor, kitchen, toilets - 20% (average in OECD - 10.1%, average in PISA - 12.5%, Kazakhstan - 14.2%);

On the way home from school - 15 percent (average at OECD - 8.5 percent, average at PISA - 10.2 percent, Kazakhstan - 13.5 percent);

On the way to school - 14 percent (OECD average - 8.2 percent, PISA average - 10.1 percent, Kazakhstan - 15.6 percent);

In the school classroom - 14% (OECD average - 6.9%, PISA average - 8.1%, Kazakhstan - 12.3%).

These figures are significantly higher than those of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA, and Kazakhstan. It is noted that at least one in seven students does not feel safe at school and is a witness to violence or bullying.

Bullying or Bullying Indicators - Survey

Children also encountered at least once a year cases of schoolchildren spreading bad language (21 per cent), fighting with other students in the school area (17 per cent), and experiencing certain types of discrimination by other children (16 per cent).

In the analysis, students facing bullying multiple times a month:

It has been established that boys are 3.7% more likely to be bullied than girls by gender.

Boys - 19.1%;

Girls - 15.4 percent.

Children from migrant families are 13.6% more likely to be bullied than children from non-immigrant families.

Children from migrant families - 30.6%;

Children from non-immigrant families - 17.1 percent.

It has been established that schoolchildren in urban areas are 3.8% more likely to be bullied than schoolchildren in rural areas.

Urban residents - 19.4%;

In rural areas - 15.6%.

Extortion has a significant impact on students' academic performance

The Institute for Macroeconomic and Territorial Studies announced some studies based on the PISA questionnaires. According to the research conducted using the institute's repest model, bullying situations among students at school have a significant impact on their academic grades. The institute shared this with its indicators across different cases.

The study showed that factors in the school environment in Uzbekistan, particularly bullying and safety, negatively impact students' learning outcomes. According to the institute, low safety levels and bullying worsen students' performance in math, reading, and science. Extortion and physical abuse have the greatest negative impact.

Based on this, the results showed the need to create a safe environment in schools to improve the quality of education.

1. Implementation of the KiVa anti-bullying program in schools in Uzbekistan based on the experience of Finland.

The KiVa program is a scientifically sound anti-bullying initiative developed by the University of Turku in Finland and funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland. Its effectiveness has been scientifically proven through large-scale research and randomized controlled trials.

2. Implementation of the Italian anti-bullying and cyberbullying program "No Trap!" for Uzbekistan.

No Trap! The (Noncadiamointrappola!) program is an initiative aimed at preventing and combating bullying and cyberbullying among secondary and high school students in Italy. Developed in 2008, this program aims to create a positive atmosphere in the school, using a peer-managed approach.

It should be recalled that on November 14 this year, the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On the Protection of Children from All Forms of Violence" was signed. Article 3 of the law recognizes the following: "Physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, neglect, exploitation and bullying are forms of violence against children. All forms of violence against children are prohibited and prosecuted by law."