Flanders to adopt zero-tolerance policy for violence against teachers

The Flemish government aims to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for violence and threats against teachers, Education minister Zuhal Demir told the Flemish Parliament. A new study indicates that one in 10 teachers face aggression at least once a month.

The new policy is included in the Flemish government’s coalition agreement. “This will be worked out in more detail, but the bottom line is that, by definition, we [the government] will always be a civil party in these cases,” Demir said.

According to a recent survey by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), among 614 respondents, 14.1 per cent of teachers have felt unsafe at school in the past year. One in 10 is bullied at least once a month. This involves verbal aggression as well as physical violence and spitting.

“One-third of the teachers would consider working elsewhere if given the chance, and of that group, 74.4 per cent indicated that their feeling of safety was an important factor for this,” said VUB researcher Iris Steenhout.

“Feelings of unsafety appear to be related not only to physical threats but also to a lack of appreciation and support from the organisation.” Only half of the respondents felt appreciated by their management.

“As for schools’ responses, I believe they should be more streamlined,” said Demir. “They have a certain amount of freedom in setting rules in the school regulations, but violence is never allowed, and this is followed by clear disciplinary procedures, such as suspension or complete exclusion from the school. If a student goes to another school after a disciplinary procedure, information will be exchanged so that the case can be followed up.”

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