Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The provinces banned the corporal punishment. The NWFP government did it
through, “a letter (1803-30/F. No 13/DS &1/M&N/G: Corr: dated Dec 13, 2003)
by the director of schools and literacy”. (DAWN 14 January 2004 e/Edition).
The Punjab and Baluchistan issued similar directives.
Intertwined are the school dropout rate and corporal punishment. The
reasons of dropout are social and economic. The corporal punishment is the
core social reason of school leaving. For young ones, it is catalyst of social
evils. In fact, the slogan “Education for all” remains just a slogan.
Some argue that corporal punishment is the last resort. The analysis suggests
otherwise, usually, punishment is the result of “Frustration”, either at
personal or professional level. Grudge and incompetence makes it even
worst.
The punishment is immeasurable. The scale varies. The studies suggest that
the students with weaker and diverse background on social, religious,
cultural, caste and economic lines get more.
Some people, usually teachers, have a strange myth. “The part of the body
beaten up by the sticks of a teacher will not be burnt in the hell”. Perhaps,
nobody knows the exact source of this saying. However, a smokescreen of
myth is available.
High regards for teaching fraternity. The schoolteachers are working under
economic stress and low self-esteem. In order to resurrect ego, some
teachers threat, intimidate and punish the students. The rural and semi-
urban schools are examples. The schools elsewhere are no exception.
The social sector is vital. They work for children. They create awareness and
help legal standardization. The beneficiary is a teacher. A teacher requires
knowing, in clear terms, that he should act, within the parameters of the law
and ethics.
Who is to judge, the punishment awarded and executed was fair or unfair? Is
there any mechanism to stop it? For the purpose, establish punishment and
abuse reporting centers.
As a concerted effort, the Ministry of Education can set child’s rights lessons
in textbooks. Introduce teaching laws. For awareness, set some questions in
the exams about rights of the child.
As closing words, one can say, there are two distinct paths for the teachers,
one of urge, interest, challenge and opportunity. The other one is of coercion,
fear, intimidation and blind following. The choice is crucial.
A person who deals in the coin of fear, intimidation and coercion cannot be a
teacher. A person who makes weakness of the little children a crime cannot
be a teacher. A person who is the brutal killer of spontaneity, creativity and
freethinking cannot be a teacher. A person who believes that discipline is the
offspring of cruel punishment cannot be a teacher. Teaching is convincing.
Teaching is winning. Teaching is ruling on the hearts and minds of individuals
you teach.