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Corporal punishment in schools: A resounding NO! |19 November 2019

Following a recent case in a school where corporal punishment was inflicted on a pupil, the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development has condemned this incident, saying that it does not tolerate this kind of punishment.

The director for early childhood and primary education, Cyril Pillay, said this in a press conference last week, noting that “the ministry's position on corporal punishment is clearly established through provision 68 (3) of Education (Amendment) Act 2017. 68 (3) states that ‘A teacher or head teacher or a person employed, whether on a part-time or full-time basis by a school, shall not administer corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure… Non-conformity to provision 68(3) is liable for court action by individual parents or legal guardian(s) of students where such reliable evidence is available.

“The MEHRD puts a lot of emphasis on prevention. We encourage teachers to use other alternatives and strategies for behaviour management. It is imperative that students in classes are observed very closely and should they be having certain difficulties which sometimes culminate in undesirable behaviour, the school has all the structures such as counsellors to allow them to meet with the parents and students and work with the student. The teachers should not deal with the symptoms but get to the root of the problem to see why the student is behaving in a certain way and what the cause of the misbehaviour is. Once this is established the teacher is advised on how to work with the student. But as the teacher teaches in class, whenever there are problems that arise, the teacher is well equipped to diffuse the problem through different techniques such as time out, dialogue or other positive reinforcement which will include social and emotional skills also,” reinforced Mr Pillay.

The MEHRD has increased mechanism to its human resources department through the use of the public service order to take disciplinary measures to teachers or employees of the school who administer corporal punishment.

“All head teachers, teachers and other staff are fully aware of the clause in the educational amendment act. Should they do so, they do it at their own risk! As a long-term effect, corporal punishment can lead to anti-social behaviour, more aggressiveness, and it leaves a scar on the students. We are educators and we need to educate in a positive manner,” concluded Mr Pillay.

The head teacher of Plaisance primary school, Thérèse Athanase, noted that this is an ongoing conversation with the teachers.

“Some parents do tell the teachers to use corporal punishment with their child, but I always remind the teachers of the law and how they can end up having issues later on. We all need encouragement and support to do our job correctly,” she said.

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