Assistant Professor Georgi Lozanov (seated) and Education Minister Daniel Vulchev (upright) attended a round table dedicated to discussion on spreading violence and aggression among Bulgarian children. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency)
Almost every nine out of ten parents are concerned with the extreme level of aggression raging in Bulgarian schools, a survey has shown.
Every fourth parent, or about 75%, worries that their children may become victims to violence from schoolmates, the results of a survey have shown.
Some 73% of responding parents believe that unhealthy family climate has been the predominant cause of aggression among the under-18, the Alpha Research survey showed.
The inquiry approached both parents and their children, aged between 15 and 17, and the results were presented Wednesday during a round table of the Education Ministry discussing the escalating aggression in schools and among schoolchildren.
Another reasons for the worrisome phenomenon appeared to be loosened discipline in classes, the gap between children from rich and poor families and the crippling discipline and family approach by parents themselves.
The discussion was attended by social experts, anthropologists, officials and lawmakers, as well as by numerous parents and teenagers.
Bulgaria's Education Ministry has launched a series of sociological researches of aggression in children in an attempt to assess the scale of the problem with child aggression. They will also give some insights into the parents and teachers' attitude to the issue.
Bulgarian schools are an exact reflection of Bulgarian society - if society is suffering from certain ills, no school could be healthy and vice versa. Our children are what we are, Minister Daniel Vulchev has said.