It is time the
government and school authorities took stern steps to put an end to
corporal punishment to children in schools. Several incidents of harsh,
even perverted, punishment of students have come to light in recent
weeks. A Class VI student in Farukhabad in Uttar Pradesh died after he
was beaten mercilessly by his teacher for talking in class. A few days
earlier, a student died in Udaipur after being hit by his teacher for
sitting with his legs stretched. A principal of a school in Andhra
Pradesh’s East Godavari district was found to have been giving his
students electric shocks. Last month, the head master of a school in
Mahabubnagar district was found to have chained a Class III student as
punishment. The incidents that have come to light over the past few
months are in all likelihood just the tip of the iceberg as children
are often scared to tell their parents or complain to the police about
the battering they have received in school. Corporal punishment in
schools is banned in only a handful of states and Union Territories in
the country. It needs to be banned across the country.
A part of the problem lies in our attitude to punishment. Many people
believe that children have to be disciplined and this can be achieved
only by wielding the rod on them. It is not just school authorities
that think this way; many parents too believe that sparing the rod will
spoil the child. It is only when beatings result in the child’s death
that parents sit up.
When children suffer physical or mental abuse they are left scarred for
life. Scolding and beating children might get them to obey orders in
the short term but in the long run it pushes them to rebel against all
authority, leaves them incapable of building normal relationships or in
dealing with life’s challenges. Leading by example and interacting with
children is perhaps a more time-consuming way to disciplining children
but it is the only way to ensure their all-round development. Our
schools need to understand that children should be treated gently but
firmly and that discipline comes through inculcating values, not
wielding the whip.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug72007/editpage2007080617519.asp
