Nauczanie o bezpieczeństwie – wyzwanie dla nowoczesnej edukacji

Abstract

The current Polish school curriculum designed to inform the students about threats to their safety is not sufficient and does not measure up to the challenges of the modern world. It does not teach about threats present in everyday life. But it is indispensable for the students to be aware of how to behave in case they are a victim or a witness to a crime, an act of violence, an accident at school. In educational programmes regarding safety one seeks in vain the segments treating the problem of youth crime in schools, there is no space devoted to discussing even such common issues as illegal use of the cellular phone or property devastation. Consequences of causing a false bomb alert or drug trafficking at school are not covered, not a word is being devoted to the pernicious influence of sects and subcultures. There is no room for discussion about eating disorders, depressions, early parenthood, suicide or death. Internet threats, such as cyberviolence, pedophilia and pornography in the cyberspace, Internet addiction, computer piracy are not covered either. The subjects of prostitution among students and domestic violence are not considered. And yet these very aspects should be discussed thoroughly with students in the framework of safety education. In everyday life, all phenomena mentioned above are important and directly concern the youth much more than terrorism, malfunctions of technical installations or natural disasters, covered presently in the curriculum. After all, terrorism or natural disasters are not the reasons for youth suicide. The students should know how to resist bullying and whom to address for help. Such a knowledge, if widespread, would bring about a measurable social effect – it would decrease the impunity and impudence of school gangs of thieves, hooligans, and drug dealers, it would be a solid basis with which the spreading demoralisation of children and youth, affecting more and more defenceless people, could be countered. In order to address the threats mentioned above, at the University of Lower Silesia we have attempted to create a study guide, designed as a vademecum of threats and ways to cope with them. The book contains advice how to recognize a threat, how to respond to it and how to discuss it with students. For each threat described, the Authors name the specific law regulations provided for it. The guide also contains behavioral procedures appropriate for each situation.