Structural roots of student violence

Students are among the most idealistic members of society. Their youthful pursuit of ideals, fuelled by passion, innocence and creativity, represents limitless potential that society can harness for its progressive transformation.

- Bhabani Shankar Nayak

Throughout history, students have not only participated in but also shaped progressive movements. What defines them is their selfless sacrifice for the greater good of society. The question then arises: why do students resort to violence, bring guns into classrooms, and adopt violent methods to express themselves? Its time to think beyond an essentialist culture of causality that merely blames and criminalises students.

In a rare incident of gun violence in India, a ninth-grade boy shot his Physics teacher. In stark contrast, gun violence in schools is a daily tragedy in the United States, where an estimated 12 children are killed and 32 students are shot and injured every day. A study titled “Gun Violence in the United States 2022: Examining the Burden Among Children and Teens” by the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins University reveals that firearms are now the leading cause of death among children and teenagers between the ages of 1 and 17. The same study found that, on average, seven young people die each day in the US due to gun violence. According to the Washington Post school shooting database, more than 390,000 students have been exposed to gun violence in schools between the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and 2024.