Corporal punishment horror
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| An image of a teacher administering corporal punishment to a pupil (Shutterstock) |
Schools are meant to be the
one of the safest places where pupils fulfil their educational practices.
However many studies show that corporal punishment is adopted worldwide in many
schools.
Corporal punishment was
abolished in 1997 in our basic education system but 20 years later schools
still rely on it as a form of a disciplinary measure against pupils who engage
in various misconducts. It is widely believed that discipline is required for
students in order for them to be successful in education, especially during the
compulsory education period. Rosen (1997)
The latest victim to this
phenomenon is Sphamandla Choma, the 14 year old boy from Middelburg Mpumalanga,
was left paralysed and a few months later died from his injuries after being
allegedly assaulted by his school principal.
Earlier this year Sowetan
Live reported that the boy was left paralysed after being assaulted by his
school principal for stealing R150, 00 from the teacher’s bag.
Speaking to Michelle Craig
of eNCA, spokesperson of the Mpumalanga department of education Jasper Zwane voiced
out his disapproval of the practice and encouraged pupils and parents to report
incidences to the department and the police.
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| Pupils raising their hands in class to respond or get the teachers attention (Shutterstock) |
The principal has been
charged with misconduct for allegedly assaulting Sphamandla but the issue could
prove to be more intricate if indeed the boy died as a result of the injuries
that he sustained as a result of the assault. The worst scenario for the
principal would be a murder charge against him.
In line with the
Constitution, the National Education Policy Act of 1996 (Republic of South
Africa, 1996a: A-47) states that “no person shall administer corporal
punishment or subject a student to psychological or physical abuse at any
educational institution”. Schools have to come up with functional alternative
measures in order to deal with indiscipline.
The dilemma in this issue is
how do school teachers instil discipline without infringing on the rights of
pupils and avoid trampling on the constitution? Government introduced the
Alternatives to corporal punishment document as a way to deal with the
conundrum.
Alternatives to corporal
punishment as contained in the document are:
- Give praise – Reward pupils for positive behaviour.
- Lead by example – Project a type of conduct that you expect from the pupils.
- Be realistic – Don’t just want to instil discipline even on circumstances that require compassion and understanding.
- Restorative Justice – The use of disciplinary techniques that will discourage other pupils from misbehaving.
- Don’t threaten or shout at children.
- Be respectful – If you respect your pupils it is likely that they will do the same.
- Use ‘good’ words to describe children – Child naming cultivates bad behaviour.
- Use guidance and counselling methods – Explain to the pupils what kind of conduct is expected from them.
The growing number of
corporal punishment incidences depicts that the alternatives to corporal
punishment document is not working, perhaps new legislature should be introduced.
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