Education must address emotional regulation and conflict management
The street brawl in Panaji in the wee hours of Sunday is deeply concerning and highlights unchecked aggressive behaviour and road rage. Eight youths were taken into custody after a video of the incident went viral on social media. A few individuals sustained injuries. The altercation occurred soon after they left the premises of a nearby club.
Goa has seen brawls involving students in the last few years, but they were mostly during the daytime. Sunday’s incident occurred in the presence of a few girls. Probably, a small trigger led to a flare-up. In road rage scenarios, minor slights are often perceived as a massive threat to the male ego. Individuals feel emboldened, acting far more aggressively to show off to their peers than they ever would alone. Physical dominance seems to be the way to show one’s power and popularity.
The police will do their job, which basically involves investigating and taking the case to its logical conclusion. As per normal procedure, the inquiry is followed by some arrests and, later, a chargesheet. Every such incident needs to be viewed from both an educational and sociological perspective. The behaviour of the eight boys arrested for the attack on four others is condemnable to the core. There should be absolutely no room for violence in any form.
Clubbing has become a new culture for youngsters—mainly from rich and upper-middle-class families. It is highly prevalent in the metros. Sunday’s brawl was not in a club or pub; it was a case of road rage displayed by youths who had just exited a pub. What cannot be ignored is the aggressive behaviour of the youngsters, as seen in the video. Sociologists would likely view the incident not as an isolated brawl, but as a symptom of a broader socio-cultural shift. The changing social fabric in a rapidly urbanised world can lead to a breakdown in community cohesion.
Formal education takes care of ragging, bullying, etc through laws and codes enforced by respective institutions. In Goa, higher secondary schools (HSS) and colleges maintain strict anti-bullying and anti-ragging rules under state government and UGC regulations. Once caught for such offences, students face suspension, rustication, or outright expulsion.The enforcement has been strict. From an educational perspective, the brawl reflects a failure to teach youth how to manage provocation and conflict. The present-day education system focuses heavily on academic success. No doubt, it has to be career-oriented, but it cannot ignore teaching emotional regulation, empathy, and constructive conflict resolution. In the present-day era of intense competitiveness, the education system may have to think of making space for emotional stability, controlling anger, mental health, and more. Experts say that the critical transition from adolescence to adulthood often lacks value-based mentorship that instils respect for human dignity and the rule of law.
The government has appointed counsellors in educational institutions to tackle mental health and related issues. After the student agitation, political parties and even right-wing organisations said that present-day students, especially Gen Z, need to be understood properly. Counsellors and psychologists need to go deeper to address aggressive behaviour. While their IQ may be high, their EQ must also be developed. While the police will take care of the law and order issues, government authorities cannot ignore such incidents as one-offs. Figuring out how to prevent such violent behaviour, starting young, should be a priority for the education sector. Integrating anger management, emotional intelligence, and civic responsibility into higher secondary school and college curricula would be an appropriate preventive measure to deal with such behaviour.
