Is Corporal punishment prevalent in schools?
Recent episode raises questions over student handling in schools; Dozens of complaints received at DSEK grievance cell, exemplary punishment given to teachers for giving corporal punishment to students: Official
Srinagar, Nov 7 : The recent episode wherein the two teachers were suspended over a complaint of alleged corporal punishment to three students has raised questions over ‘hand-holding of students by teachers in schools’.
Corporal Punishment in a School
As already reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Doifode Sagar Dattatray on Saturday suspended two teachers of Upper Primary School Gampora Budanamal of Kralpora zone after his office received a complaint regarding alleged corporal punishment to three students.
This is not the only incident of corporal punishment reported this year but in recent past, several such incidents were reported in various districts across J&K.
In Apr this year, the district administration Rajouri placed under suspension a government teacher on allegations of corporal punishment to a girl student of the school.
Not only this, three months later, Students and their parents staged a protest demonstration outside Government High School Manyal in Thanamandi accusing a teacher Liyaqit Ali of resorting to corporal punishment.
Last year, a student was repeatedly slapped by a teacher at a private coaching centre in Parraypora area of Srinagar.
All such incidents have raised queries over the hand-holding of students by teachers in institutions.
As per the government order, the corporal punishment is completely banned in schools.
The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has issued repeated circular instructions to schools with the directions to abide by the guidelines and implement such practices learned during different training programmes.
The teachers have been advised to do away with the corporal punishment and adopt play-way methods for hand-holding of the teachers.
The DSEK in one of its circulars issued in past has stated that the Corporal Punishment carries the potential of impairing the trust bonds between the teachers and students, besides being apt to cause delinquency and mental health problems among the abused children.
“Corporal punishment is also generally perceived to be responsible for children getting shy, feeling insecure, becoming resentful or even violent,” it reads.
Also, the guidelines issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights perceive acts of scolding students in Class as tantamount to crime.
“The National Curriculum Framework (NCF-2005) has mentioned that corporal punishment, as also verbal and non-verbal abuse, do not only humiliate children in front of their peers but carry long-term detrimental effects on children’s over-all development, self-esteem and their interest in learning,” the DSEK circular reads.
However, the repeated incidents of Corporal Punishment in given to students in schools has exposed the poor implementation of the government guidelines.
Notably, the DSEK has established a full-fledged grievances cell wherein dozens of complaints of Corporal punishments have been received from parents and the students.
‘There is no relaxation in it and we give exemplary punishment to teachers who are found involved in corporal punishment to students in schools,” a top official said.
He said the complaints received by the grievance cell are immediately processed and action is taken against the teachers in this regard.
“Most of the complaints received with regard to corporal punishments have been taken up with the schools and action has been initiated as well,” the official said.