‘Caring serves better than caning children’ | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

‘Caring serves better than caning children’

KARACHI – For the development of skill and behaviour among children, care can serve better than caning, said by the speakers of the one-day teachers training program on alternatives to corporal punishment.

The training programme was titled as ‘Care is better than Caning’ and was held under the aegis of Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child at a local hotel (SPARC) Wednesday.

The program was attended by a number of male and female teachers belonging to different primary and secondary schools of the city.

Introducing participants with the aims and objectives of the training, Akhtar Hussain Baloch, the Regional Manager of SPARC said, “In Pakistan, corporal punishment in school is often associated with wider fundamental problem in the education system.

In the majority of schools in the rural as well as in the urban areas, children are exposed to physical punishment in the name of discipline.

The teacher does not sense a feeling of remorse or guilt because it is so deeply rooted in the culture of rearing a child in our society that even in case of extreme brutality reported, higher authority fail to take concrete action.

Most parents also support and reinforce teacher’s actions to correct children’s behaviour.”Talking about the negative impacts of corporal punishment Nazra Jahan, the school project officer was of the view that in Pakistan about 6.463 million children do not go to school, which is the second largest quantity of such children in a country.

Besides other factors in slow progress to achieve cent percent literacy rate under the Millennium Development Goal in 2015, corporal punishment is cited one of the major reasons for the high drop out rate.

Kashif Bajeer, the Regional Promotion Manager, SPARC, pointed out that Pakistan Being a signatory of UN Convention on the Rights of Child is obligated to ensure the implementation on article 19 of the convention, which clearly enunciates that, a child must be protected from all forms of physical and mental violence while in the care of parents and others.

Following a sustained campaign by SPARC, corporal punishment is now prohibited in the government’s schools in the NWFP (since December 2003), in the Punjab (since September 2005) and Sindh. But practically it has been observed that physical violence in government and private schools widely prevails and government as well as educational institutions has remained failed in the eradication of the physical punishment.

Salam Dharejo, the Regional Promotion Manager, SPARC, talking about the impacts of corporal punishment cited, Corporal punishment manifest in different ways.

Psychologically student loose self esteem, confidence and interest in learning. Due to the fear of punishment, classroom environment no longer remain attractive and compel student to seek refuge in other places.

Biologically, corporal punishment some time causes fatal injury and inflict student a sense of fear and insecurity. Consequently, a child becomes a violent in nature and loose respect and care to teachers, parent even at large rest of the society.”

Participants were of the view that “To stop punishment and adopt alternative means of learning, children can be taught through adopting non-violent and respectable way of teaching. A student can perform in better way if he/she is appreciated of its work.
Source: The Nation
Date:9/13/2007