Should corporal punishment be allowed in
schools? Some people would argue that when you spare the rod; you spoil the
child. In this report by MOTUNRAYO ABODERIN, martinets express
mixed views.
The death of a 12-year-old pupil of a secondary
school in Awka, Anambra State, Miss Chidinma Ukachukwu, after being allegedly
flogged by her teacher for failing to do her homework, came as a shock to many
readers.
But that would not be the first time children
were being beaten to death either by their teachers or parents/guardians. Some
months ago, 34-year-old Becklin Okoro allegedly beat his wife, Esther Uremure,
and flogged his five-year old daughter, Bethel to death.
There was another report of an 11-year-old boy
who was allegedly flogged to death by his father for disobedience. It was
gathered that the suspect, Friday Obot, flogged the victim, Michael Friday,
with a cable wire.
There are several unreported cases of pupils
injured or deformed after being flogged. While for instance Lagos State
Government has already placed a ban on flogging in schools; some schools still
engage in the act.
Despite the ban on flogging in Lagos schools, our
correspondent observed that some public schools still engage in flogging their
pupils. However, the question now is to what extent should a child be
disciplined?
A lecturer at the Department of Mass
Communication, Anambra State University, Dr. Chineye Nwabueze, said “Flogging
cannot and should not be removed from our society. We are not living in the
United States. We are Africans. It’s a disservice to the nation if there
should be a ban on flogging. However, it is only when flogging is done to
the extreme that a ban could be placed.
“There are some children that are stubborn and
therefore need to be dealt with. I believe we could change the word ‘flogging’
if need be. We live in a society where corporal punishment cannot be
removed. Such punishment is an act of equipping the children,” he said.
Nwabueze said there are three institutions under
which a child is moulded. He identified them as –family, church and school.
“Each of these institutions has its style of discipline. In schools, flogging
happens to be one of the best methods for discipline. Mere cautioning a
child is not enough. Flogging saved some of us. We are what we are today
because of the few whips we received.’’
A former principal, Mrs. Modupe Jegede, who was
in the education sector for over 30 years, said that there were other ways to
discipline children aside flogging.
Speaking with our correspondent, Jegede said,
“First, a teacher should not flog a child in annoyance. That teacher who
flogged Chidinma may have done so in annoyance. I believe flogging should be
the last resort. There are several ways to punish a child.
“However, these children could be threatened with
beating when they commit an offence. Mere seeing a cane would make them refrain
from their wrong acts. We have had so many cases of children who were deformed
and maimed after being flogged. As an educationist, you should be able to
correct a child without necessarily using the cane. You could ask them to kneel
or stand at the back of the class. Also correcting them at school assembly in
front of their mates makes them feel ashamed. A teacher should be able to
exercise discipline without using a cane,” she said.
Jegede said that it was important for teachers to
restrain their anger especially when correcting a child. She said so many
parents who had inflicted scars on their children or caused deformity in them
were presently living in regret.
A public school teacher, Mr. Akinpelu Olukunmi,
said the location of a school is a determinant factor as to whether flogging
should be permitted. He added that he does not see any reason why flogging
should not be permitted in a school.
He said, “In my school for example, there is just
no way a child would listen to you unless you flog him or her. Even if you
shout on top of your voice or scold pupils in my school, they would not listen
to you. But immediately they see your cane, they will behave themselves. Some
children are stubborn and should be flogged.”
Olukunmi, however, said there are other
punishments teachers could use to correct children. “You could ask the naughty
ones to wear a garment. By the time you make them move around in garments all
day, the following day, they would behave. Or you could ask them to pick up
dirts in the school premises. It all depends on the teacher. The teacher should
use the method that suits him or her most.
“However, my prayer is that the education system
in Nigeria gets better. And parents also have a role to play in building the
character of their children,” he said.
The National Director, Family Impact Nigeria, Mr.
Tunde Fowe, said that educators must realise that punishment as a consequence
of wrong-doing and/or defiance should be commensurate with the offence
committed.
He said, “To adopt flogging as the one tool that
corrects every perceived wrong-doing is both unhelpful and a lazy response to a
critical need. The educator’s goal is to discipline and not to instil fear,
cause isolation or break the esteem of the child. If that is the goal, personal
interaction and instruction should be the priority. In the event of a wilful
wrong-doing, the educator should determine the appropriate punishment that is
proportionate to the offence committed. In my opinion, flogging should be the
ultimate means of punishment. And even at that, it requires a process that
makes it meaningful.
“Having established that flogging should be the
ultimate punishment for an ultimate offence, it then follows that it should be
used sparingly and infrequently. In the event that the educator decides that
flogging is the appropriate punishment for a wilful act of wrong-doing, care
must be taken to explain to the child or adolescent the reason for the
flogging. Under no circumstance should an educator flog a child or adolescent
out of anger or annoyance. If that happens, then it is child abuse.
“Flogging is an ultimate instrument to bring the
child or adolescent back in line on a journey towards good behaviour; it is not
and cannot be an instrument to vent the anger or frustration of the educator on
the child. If this happens, then the educator is guilty of child abuse. Let it
be noted also that if flogging, either well intended or not, brings physical
harm to the child or adolescent, the one who flogs is guilty of instrumental
aggression. Educators should be aware of their limits under the Child Rights
Act. Flogging then, if it must be done at all, should be carried out under a
controlled atmosphere aimed at the good of the child and not to assuage the
pent-up anger of the one who flogs,” he said.
A Citizens Rights and Empowerment Advocacy
Initiative, a non-governmental human rights advocacy group, which adherently
condemned the killing of Chidinma, has called for the establishment of Citizens
Rights Club in all schools across the federation to enlighten both teachers and
pupils on human rights and promote the need to ensure respect for each
other’s right.
The President of the Group, Mr. Rex
Saltlove, said, “The teachers are important instrument for nation building and
must be treated as special species due to the nature of their job. They are the
ones that shape the lives of their pupils from the cradle and must not be neglected
in the interest of human capital development.
“We therefore call on governments at all levels
to urgently design special empowerment programme for dedicated teachers. This
will go a long way in reducing incidents like this one, which mostly is as a
result of misplaced aggression induced by poverty in many homes,” he said.
The Punch
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