Ban corporal punishment in schools?
JULY 2017 TOPIC: Should corporal punishment be banned in schools?
Corporal punishment should be banned because no one has the right to touch you without your consent even if that person is superior to you or has power. A teacher can teach better with love than with punishments. Punishment cannot be the solution to make you realize your fault. In my opinion, corporal punishment is a sin, not trying to be offensive. Corporal punishment will not only weaken student’s education but it may also lead to revenge. Hence, corporal punishment should not come in the way of education.
Sanaya Bulsara (16)
St Joseph E.T High School, Bilimora
The proverb ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’ has dominated for centuries inflicting psychological and physical torture that leave haunted memories in the lives of children. I, being one of the victims of this traumatic experience, have gone through some of the painful experiences in my life. I could have been happy if this could have brought some transformation in my life as school officials and policymakers claim to be: it enhances moral character and increases students’ performances. However I say that with love, friendship, accompaniment, encouragement and understanding we can bring about a change that each child is comfortable with, incorporating for a better performance.
Ezekiel S.
Christ College, Pune
Corporal punishment should be banned because it does not do any good to students rather it affects them negatively by instilling fear, hatred and low self-esteem. It also affects them psychologically and in the development of their personality. I believe we can win the hearts of every student by being gentle and kind with them. If we do so they will listen to us and try to improve in their studies and character. Children should feel at home coming to school and enjoy learning. The relationship between students and teachers should be cordial.
Nelson Nova S.
Christ College, Pune
“Corporal punishment is a punishment intended to cause physical pain on a person,” defines Wikipedia. It is very evident from this sentence that the intention behind corporal punishment is to inculcate discipline by means of fear or compulsion. I firmly believe that any disciplinary value in life shouldn’t be driven by compulsion. Instead values should be cultivated in love and sincerity. At the same time, I also accept that teachers shouldn’t be so free that students misuse their freedom. A healthy and balanced relationship based on respect should be the best replacement for corporal punishment.
Prince Joseph (15)
V Care, Surat
Here in south India, especially in Tamil Nadu, it’s not much seen; yet any such banning of corporal punishment completely might be a great move. Some teachers may give corporal punishment because of personal emotions. I personally feel that all sorts of physical assaults should be removed and if a student misbehaves or creates any sort of trouble, they should be immediately brought to senior staff’s attention and should be handled with love and care and bring it to the notice of the parents.
Milan Patel
Saranthan College of Engineering, Tiruchirappalli
School is a place where students are supposed to study in a student friendly environment. The students spend at least 4-5 hours or more with their teachers in the school; so it is important that they feel comfortable. It is believed that such punishments would help to maintain discipline in the classrooms and make the students respect the teachers. Sadly such punishments have been in practice in India since a long time. Discipline is not taught. It is learnt. It is an attitude and a responsibility which goes together with education.
Moksha Sharma (18)
Mumbai
Teachers punish students to correct them so that they do not repeat the same mistake. But sometimes this punishment makes students fear their teachers rather than respect them. It is not necessary that students have to get corporal punishment in order to learn from their mistakes, they can be made to understand. So I think that corporal punishment should be banned. Teachers should help the students understand their mistakes and learn to improve them. Punishments build fear in students and they stop being open to their teachers. It is not true that using a cane to teach students will make them more studious or they can be corrected.
Senjuti Saibal Bhattacharya (17)
St Joseph’s Jr. College, Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai
I believe corporal punishment has already been banned and I do agree with the same. Seeing today’s generation and how easily they get affected by small things, corporal punishment being banned is a good move. Children today feel embarrassed and get agitated even when they are scolded.
Twinkle Jain (18)
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, Delhi University
In my opinion, corporal punishment is a grievous atrocity and it should be banned in schools. Schools are meant not only for providing education, but they also play a paramount role in grooming the character of a child. Unfortunately some teachers tend to initiate punishments to develop discipline in students. Violence always leads to violence. Students when punished tend to become rigid and some of them also lose their dignity and self-esteem. They are prone to develop inferiority complex. Subsequently, their productivity decreases and tends to fall into wrong ways to get rid of the pain. Therefore the authorities should adopt corrective measures to eliminate this offence. They should be encouraged to appoint counsellors to help the students.
Palak Arora (17)
St. Luke’s Senior Secondary School, Solan
Corporal punishments should not be given no matter what the circumstances are in schools because I believe that violence should not be accepted, encouraged or tolerated. Firstly, physical punishment elicits negative feelings namely distress, anger, fear, shame and disgust. Secondly, punishing children instils in them that violence is an acceptable way to get what you want. Moreover, it is not effective either because children will not show respect but fear or may become even disrespectful. So, why resort to physical punishments? Talk rather than hit, listen to the child, explain the reasons and make him understand.
Kejhal Kalra (15)
Ryan International School, Amritsar
According to the Oxford dictionary, corporal punishment is physical punishment such as caning and flogging. As a result, the young and the tender souls are psychologically disturbed which leads to long-term detrimental and behavioural problems. Every child is special and the teachers must be sensitive enough to deal with their students. Only six states in India have banned corporal punishment so far. School is considered as ‘a temple of learning’. Discipline is a must in student’s life but enforcing it through corporal punishment is highly objectionable and rather inhuman. Therefore in my opinion corporal punishment must be banned in school.
Pahul Sond (18)
MGN Public School, Jalandhar
Yes, corporal punishments should be banned in schools. Educators are the nation builders and schools are the stem of education. The responsibility of schools is to give a quality education to children, to respect every child and to create an atmosphere of faith and trust. Rewards and punishments are also important for child’s overall development. But punishment given should not be dishonourable, it shouldn’t hurt an individual. It is totally unethical causing harm by beating a child or ragging him. It hurts the self esteem of a child.
Kanika D. Muniyar
Nanded Physiotherapy College & Research Center, Nanded
Some teachers in their goodness will not resort to any sort of punishment but with love will counsel students to elicit good behaviour and commitment from them; whereas teachers who are not able to manage students will impose fear of punishment to control them. Punishment does not always result in remorse and repentance but may end up in revolt and revenge. It is advisable to promote love and care which will always lead to respect with cordiality.
Danella Mascarenhas (15)
St Angela Sophia Sr Sec School, Jaipur
There comes lot of experience in life even when we make mistakes. If a child makes mistakes parents, teachers, elders and friends need to guide him/her. Yes, the biggest thing is to learn from that mistake and for that punishment is a must. Punishment is something that makes you realize your mistake. Punishment can be given in various other ways other than corporal punishments. Using violent methods to punish a student will not make him or her realize their mistake, instead they will build up fear. So, corporal punishment should be banned; instead, various other methods can be used to correct the child’s mistake.
Sonali Sharma (16)
S. D. S. M College, Dahanu Road
Schools are supposed to be a safe and healthy environment. But if the student starts to fear the teacher then school will no longer be seen as a safe place. Hitting a child is going to get the child fear you. Hitting someone can cause not only physical damage, but psychological damage as well. Corporal punishments in school do not provide safety, learning, or behaviour. It can cause students to get hurt and may make their behaviour worse. It can also bring back painful memories to those who have had a history of being abused by parents. It can really affect the brain and damage a student.
Shweta Mhatre
ICLE’s Motilal Jhunjhunwala College, Navi Mumbai