Corporal punishment violates children's rights

Feb 22, 2015

BESIDES inflicting pains and physical injuries, these violent disciplinary methods impact negatively on pupils’ academic achievement and long-term well-being

By Grace Okeng

AS the new academic year rolls on, many pupils are wary of facing brutal teachers in their classrooms. They know too well that many of their classmates and schoolmates have succumbed to violence perpetrated by teachers, many have been maimed and others have died.

 

However, despite evidence that corporal punishment is detrimental to a productive learning environment, the vice is rampant and is on the rise in most of our schools.

 

Corporal punishment violates children’s rights and does not improve academic performance or produce disciplined pupils. If it did, with nearly all our schools using corporal punishment, our schools would not only be centers of excellence but would all have well disciplined pupils and teachers would have no jobs!

 

Besides inflicting pains and physical injuries, these violent disciplinary methods impact negatively on pupils’ academic achievement and long-term well-being. In any case, schools where corporal punishment is frequently used perform worse academically than those that prohibit it.

 

Most pupils who have been subjected to caning or any other harsher disciplinary practices have reported subsequent problems with depression, fear and anger. These pupils frequently withdraw from school activities and disengage academically.

 

Victims often develop deteriorating peer relationship, difficulty with concentration, lowered school achievement, anti- social behaviour, and intense dislike for authority. There is also a tendency for school avoidance and truancy and school dropout.

 

Often pupils who experience or witness physical violence will themselves develop disruptive and violent behavior, further disrupting their classmates’ learning as well as their own. In adult life these children become social misfits and a big liability to societies and communities in which they live and also a hindrance to all forms of development.

 

In dealing with pupils’ misbehavior, therefore, teachers ought to remind themselves of the fact that children do not often do what teachers expect but they do what teachers inspect, and teachers should inspect what pupils do with respect, love and understanding.

 

Corporal punishment is, therefore, a destructive form of discipline that is ineffective in producing educational environment in which students can thrive. Rather than rely on harsh and threatening disciplinary tactics, schools and teachers should be encouraged to develop positive behaviour support which has proven effective in reducing the need for harsh discipline while supporting a safe and productive learning environment.

 

The Ministry of Education should, therefore, come up with very clear policy on corporal punishment and tougher sanctions to eliminate all forms of torture of children in schools. With thousands of children being maimed and even killed in our schools annually, it is sufficient to call for tougher action against the vice.

Writer is a good governance advocate

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