Spare the rod and spare the child
Corporal punishment continues to prevail in Indian schools, sometimes with fatal consequences for the child. Teachers should know that there's nothing the rod can do that dialogue cannot,
Last week, a Kolkata civil court ruled that the principal of one of the most sought-after schools in the city, La Martiniere, along with three teachers, could be tried for abetment of suicide in the case of 13-year-old Rouvanjit Rawla, who killed himself in February last year after being caned. Rawla, it emerged, was frequently humiliated in the name of discipline.
Ask 13-year-old Om Laud, a student of Shishuvan School, Matunga, about the case, and he shakes his head. "I've heard of such punishment, but it makes no sense at all," says the teenager. Laud should know. He is the deputy external affairs minister in the school parliament, and his opinion is sought in matters of discipline. Recently, a fourth-grader at his school tore his classmate's pants in anger. Surprisingly, none of the teachers came to know of the incident. The boys called Laud to intervene.
"The act was humiliating, but I could see it was done because there was hurt involved on both sides. I didn't demand embarrassing details — it was important to understand why it happened, and I asked them to suggest solutions. They argued bitterly, but when they realised that the answers had to come from them, not from me or a teacher, they began looking at a practical, long-term solution." This is the sort of mediation advice that one seldom hears from 13-year-olds.
Laud, however, says that 'dialogue' is the only solution. "I've not seen my friends change after a spanking; they end up carrying so much baggage…"
At his school, there are regular parliament meetings to address nagging concerns. A teacher oversees the proceedings, as children engage in 'dialogue'. There are rewards and sanctions that students decide on. Failure to complete homework isn't met with pointed questions and punishment, only a firm request to stay back after school and finish it.
After receiving two warning cards by a teacher for distracting a class, a middle school Shishuvan student is expected to go outside the class not to be exhibited as a wrong-doer, but to write a reflective essay explaining his behaviour, and suggesting what the teacher could do to hold his attention. If that too does not make a difference, the child is denied access to at least a part of his favourite lessons.
Shishuvan School adopted the more liberal ways of disciplining children after much deliberation with child counsellors. The school's principal, Neha Chheda, says, "Newer and more thoughtful methods of discipline demand that we put a 'why' to a child's behaviour — 'why' is s/he undisciplined in class, and so on. Corporal punishment never demands that. And can we cite instances of children being reformed by being humiliated?"
In a recent case in Karnataka, a 14-year-old boy recuperating from an illness requested to be excused from physical training. His teacher, however, punished him for his 'laziness' and made him jog around the school. The boy collapsed and died.
The Right To Education Act, 2009, bans corporal punishment, mental harassment, detention and expulsion. While the law is welcome, it takes more than legislation to change the culture of schools.
Maya Menon, director, The Teacher Foundation (TTF), who started a project called Safe And Sensitive Schools (SASS) last year, says, "Any change in the culture of the school must start with the teacher, not the student. Look at most curricula across the country — the idea that tolerance and gentleness are important is just not on the teacher's mind."
Menon, a teacher trainer, talks of the efficacy of Quality Circle Time (QCT) in enforcing discipline, a method first introduced in the UK by educationist Jenny Mosley. QCT sees teachers and students sit in a circle. Anything that comes to the students' mind is open for discussion. "One student revealed how he needed help because he was lonely. Before the teacher could intervene, another student piped up, asking whether it would help if they had lunch together!"
At one QCT, a child admitted to stealing. That wouldn't have been possible in an atmosphere where children are usually punished.
Sujatha Mohandas, principal of Sishu Griha, Bangalore, has been a teacher for 32 years. She too has good reason to sign up for the TTF programme. "Twenty years ago, a teacher may have reprimanded a child for not saying 'Good Morning'. Now, my students say "Hi!" breezily. Does that mean I pull them aside and teach them 'manners'?" she asks. A decade ago, parents would question her 'soft' approach and demand more firmness. These days, however, parents seem to have greater appreciation.
"We should be concentrating on larger issues. How, for instance, to draw out the child who might be an introvert, and allow him or her expression in a class full of extroverts? These are the questions that techniques like the QCT help us tackle," she says.
Muktangan, an educational programme that offers alternatives to orthodox teaching methods, trains women from poorer backgrounds to conduct the education process without recourse to harsh punishment. "Many of those who undergo the training find jobs at municipality-run schools, where their own children may be studying," says Sunil Mehta, a trustee.
"We once asked trainees to define a teacher. They responded that a teacher was like a potter, who moulds children, who are like clay. We asked what might happen if the clay was too hard. We were told that the teacher could beat the child to the right consistency!" says Mehta, who underlines the fact that a new way at looking at the teacher-student relationship and notions of discipline also involves a great deal of unlearning. There are now five such state-run schools in Mumbai, up to grade 7, which are run by teachers trained at Muktangan.
Guidelines to be issued to check corporal punishment
Human resources development (HRD) minister Kapil Sibal today said tough guidelines will be issued to check corporal punishment in schools in the backdrop of a 13-year-old student in Kolkata allegedly ending his life after being caned by his principal.
Sibal has asked chairperson of National Commission Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Shantha Sinha to frame and issue tough guidelines to get rid of corporal punishment in schools.
"The children are very precious to us. They are the future of our country. No child should be subjected to harassment and thereby get demotivated and be pushed out of the system," he told reporters in New Delhi.
Rouvanjit Rawla, 13, a student of La Martiniere School in Kolkata, allegedly committed suicide after being caned by his principal.
Sibal said that the newly-enacted Right To Education Act prohibits corporal punishment. He discussed the issue with the NCPCR chief yesterday.
"Because we have a provision in the Act, we can issue guidelines. We will be in fact in discussion with NCPCR for issuance of guidelines," he said.
"We must get rid of corporal punishment. Children need to be included in the system. I think there is so much change in the methodology and the way we deliver education," he said.
The NCPCR has already issued guidelines in 2007. But those rules are not enough to check the menace.
Sibal said the school must take responsibility in the event a student gets prominently damaged following corporal punishment.
"Ultimately, the school has to take responsibility. In the event there is corporal punishment and somebody gets prominently damaged, somebody has to take responsibility," he said.
Sometimes such incidents drive students to commit suicide, he said.
"But there should be a process through which there should be inquiry about the circumstances of the death in case of a suicide. In the event anybody is found culpable, then the possible course of action should follow," he said.
Sibal has asked chairperson of National Commission Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Shantha Sinha to frame and issue tough guidelines to get rid of corporal punishment in schools.
"The children are very precious to us. They are the future of our country. No child should be subjected to harassment and thereby get demotivated and be pushed out of the system," he told reporters in New Delhi.
Rouvanjit Rawla, 13, a student of La Martiniere School in Kolkata, allegedly committed suicide after being caned by his principal.
Sibal said that the newly-enacted Right To Education Act prohibits corporal punishment. He discussed the issue with the NCPCR chief yesterday.
"Because we have a provision in the Act, we can issue guidelines. We will be in fact in discussion with NCPCR for issuance of guidelines," he said.
"We must get rid of corporal punishment. Children need to be included in the system. I think there is so much change in the methodology and the way we deliver education," he said.
The NCPCR has already issued guidelines in 2007. But those rules are not enough to check the menace.
Sibal said the school must take responsibility in the event a student gets prominently damaged following corporal punishment.
"Ultimately, the school has to take responsibility. In the event there is corporal punishment and somebody gets prominently damaged, somebody has to take responsibility," he said.
Sometimes such incidents drive students to commit suicide, he said.
"But there should be a process through which there should be inquiry about the circumstances of the death in case of a suicide. In the event anybody is found culpable, then the possible course of action should follow," he said.
La Martiniere bans corporal punishment
Under pressure from all quarters following the suicide of 13-year-old Rouvanjit Rawla after caning by the principal, Kolkata’s prestigious school La Martiniere for Boys banned corporal punishment on Friday.
“No child will be subjected to physical punishment and mental torture. Whoever contravenes such provisions shall be construed a major violator of rules and if found guilty, shall be liable for disciplinary action,” the school’s board of governors said.
Board member Lt Gen (retd) JR Mukherjee said under the amended service rules, violators would attract halt to increment, promotion and even removal or suspension.
The 150-year-old school will also form a committee soon for student counselling and complaints redressal.
Sources in the school said under old service rules, a teacher found guilty of corporal punishment was first cautioned, then suspended and finally dismissed. Under amended rules, such teachers will be first suspended and then dismissed.
However, the new rules will not apply in case of principal Sunirmal Chakravarthi, who has admitted to caning Rouvanjit. According to the school board, Chakravarthi has been cautioned and that is enough for the time being.
“No child will be subjected to physical punishment and mental torture. Whoever contravenes such provisions shall be construed a major violator of rules and if found guilty, shall be liable for disciplinary action,” the school’s board of governors said.
Board member Lt Gen (retd) JR Mukherjee said under the amended service rules, violators would attract halt to increment, promotion and even removal or suspension.
The 150-year-old school will also form a committee soon for student counselling and complaints redressal.
Sources in the school said under old service rules, a teacher found guilty of corporal punishment was first cautioned, then suspended and finally dismissed. Under amended rules, such teachers will be first suspended and then dismissed.
However, the new rules will not apply in case of principal Sunirmal Chakravarthi, who has admitted to caning Rouvanjit. According to the school board, Chakravarthi has been cautioned and that is enough for the time being.
Corporal punishment among children is common worldwide: Study
Corporal punishments and spanking of children are common all over the world despite ban in 24 countries, three studies led by UNC researchers have revealed.
Spanking has declined in the US since 1975 but nearly 80% of preschool children are still disciplined in this fashion.
Corporal punishment of children is also large on the world level despite bans on corporal punishment that have been adopted in 24 countries since 1979.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center conducted the study.
"The findings are stark. Harsh treatment of children was epidemic in all communities. Our data support the conclusions that maltreatment occurs in all nations," Desmond Runyan, professor of social medicine at UNC and lead author of a study that conducted surveys in Egypt, India, Chile, the Philippines, Brazil and the US to track international variations in corporal punishment said.
Some findings of his study said that rates of harsh physical discipline revealed by the surveys were dramatically higher in all communities than published rates of official physical abuse in any country.
Mothers with fewer years of education more commonly used physical punishment. Rates of corporal punishment vary widely among communities within the same country. For example, both the highest and lowest rates of hitting a child on the buttocks with an object were found in different communities in India.
Harsh punishment of children by parents is not less common in countries other than the US. It may be more common, especially in low and middle income countries.
Adam J Zolotor, assistant professor of family medicine in the UNC School of Medicine, led the other two studies. The first tracked corporal punishment and physical abuse trends for three-to-11-year-old children in the US as demonstrated by four separate surveys conducted in 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2002.
This study found that 18% fewer children were slapped or spanked by caregivers in 2002 compared to 1975. However, even after this decline, most preschool-aged children are spanked (79%), and nearly half of children ages eight and nine in the 2002 survey were hit with an object such as a paddle or switch.
"This study shows that the US, unlike most other high income countries, has had little change in the use of corporal punishment as commonplace," said Zolotor.
"Given the weight of evidence that spanking does more harm than good, it is important that parents understand the full range of options for helping to teach their children.A bit of good news is that the decline in the use of harsher forms of punishment is somewhat more impressive," he added.
His second study was a systematic review of the laws and changes in attitudes and behaviours in countries that have adopted bans on corporal punishment since the passage of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1979.
"This study shows us that, over 30 years after the passage of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations and after ratification by 193 member countries, a small number have supported this convention by explicit prohibition of corporal punishment. It also underscores the important relationship between social change and legislative change," Zolotor said.
The study has been published online by the journal Pediatrics.
Spanking has declined in the US since 1975 but nearly 80% of preschool children are still disciplined in this fashion.
Corporal punishment of children is also large on the world level despite bans on corporal punishment that have been adopted in 24 countries since 1979.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center conducted the study.
"The findings are stark. Harsh treatment of children was epidemic in all communities. Our data support the conclusions that maltreatment occurs in all nations," Desmond Runyan, professor of social medicine at UNC and lead author of a study that conducted surveys in Egypt, India, Chile, the Philippines, Brazil and the US to track international variations in corporal punishment said.
Some findings of his study said that rates of harsh physical discipline revealed by the surveys were dramatically higher in all communities than published rates of official physical abuse in any country.
Mothers with fewer years of education more commonly used physical punishment. Rates of corporal punishment vary widely among communities within the same country. For example, both the highest and lowest rates of hitting a child on the buttocks with an object were found in different communities in India.
Harsh punishment of children by parents is not less common in countries other than the US. It may be more common, especially in low and middle income countries.
Adam J Zolotor, assistant professor of family medicine in the UNC School of Medicine, led the other two studies. The first tracked corporal punishment and physical abuse trends for three-to-11-year-old children in the US as demonstrated by four separate surveys conducted in 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2002.
This study found that 18% fewer children were slapped or spanked by caregivers in 2002 compared to 1975. However, even after this decline, most preschool-aged children are spanked (79%), and nearly half of children ages eight and nine in the 2002 survey were hit with an object such as a paddle or switch.
"This study shows that the US, unlike most other high income countries, has had little change in the use of corporal punishment as commonplace," said Zolotor.
"Given the weight of evidence that spanking does more harm than good, it is important that parents understand the full range of options for helping to teach their children.A bit of good news is that the decline in the use of harsher forms of punishment is somewhat more impressive," he added.
His second study was a systematic review of the laws and changes in attitudes and behaviours in countries that have adopted bans on corporal punishment since the passage of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1979.
"This study shows us that, over 30 years after the passage of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations and after ratification by 193 member countries, a small number have supported this convention by explicit prohibition of corporal punishment. It also underscores the important relationship between social change and legislative change," Zolotor said.
The study has been published online by the journal Pediatrics.
Is harsh punishment the only way out?
Look for holistic approach to reduce pressure
In the past few years, we have heard a lot of incidents where students have been the victims of corporal punishment. This lead to a lot of tension among parents and teachers. We must understand that the issue is about pressure building on children. The most common punishment used by teachers to punish ‘bad’ students is either making them stand on the bench or by sending them out of the class. This can sometimes lead to humiliation and ridicule of the students among classmates.Our education system is to be blamed as it aims at competition among students rather than a focus on learning. Parents as well as schools pressurise them to score well rather than engage in holistic learning. So, instead of just debating about corporal punishment in some schools, we must also look at the holistic approach to reduce the pressure on child and teacher. Such pressure on children can lead them to take harsh steps like suicide. Society needs to create an ambience for learning rather than competition among children.
Anurag Modi, social activist
It impacts a child’s right to survival and development
The appaling forms of violence inflicted on children are simply untenable and fundamentally antithetical to basic human rights and established child rights standards. Therefore, we equate corporal punishment with class room violence that severely impacts children’s rights to survival, protection, development and participation.The repeated examples of corporal punishment are proof enough that it is continuing unabated despite the ban on it. Corporal punishment calls for more stringent legal action. Apart from ensuring stringent legal action which will act as a deterrent, the school management committees mandated by the RTE Act, 2009, should play a role in ensuring that such incidents do not occur. The role of students and parents should be inclusive and visible in the school management committees. Corporal punishment has multiple dimensions — it could be verbal, include physical abuse or could lead to discriminatory practices.
Kreeanne Rabadi, regional director, CRY
A child requires rewards not punishment to improve
In our forefather’s time it was commonly said ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’. However, it is realised that today’s subtle methods bring better result than old-age ones where children were beaten or slapped in school if they misbehaved. Corporal punishment has no role in the field of education and learning, since other stressors like intense competition weighs heavily on the child’s and parent’s psyche. Each child is an individual and dealing with each individual is different from all aspects. A child requires rewards and punishment to discipline, to motivate, and ultimately to mould into a responsible citizen. Therefore, corporal punishment should be condemned and not encouraged. However, it is sad but true that it is still prevalent in India even after it was banned in 2001. This could be because it is easy to practice, with no intelligent effort being required from a teacher, whereas other methods require immense patience and self-discipline.
Amit Upasham, psychiatrist, Godrej Memorial Hospital
Use methods like positive reinforcement to discipline
While growing up, children try to develop their identity and a sense of self. Corporal punishment makes a child feel inadequate; firstly, it makes a child feel bad and secondly, it makes a child feel that he/she cannot handle the environment. As a result his/her psychological growth gets impaired. What we need is to teach children how to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. Parents use a variety of methods including pampering, love, shouting, cajoling, beating, restricting to make the child ‘understand’ what’s good or bad and what technique they are comfortable with. Punishment serves as a technique of controlling inappropriate behaviour. It is certain that if punishment is used appropriately and to the right degree then it can serve its purpose to ‘control’ one’s behaviour. However, one must not forget that we can also teach discipline through explanation, self control, and positive reinforcement.
Narendra Kinger, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist
Upbringing is to blame to some extent
I believe in ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ but having said that I don’t think corporal punishment is the answer.It could be one of the means employed to discipline a child but in the long run, it will never serve the purpose for which it has been used.Schools should not adopt this as their method or tool of discipline. Children and mischief go hand in hand. So, while discipline is important, it is also important for school authorities to understand when to be really ‘tough’ and when to turn ‘a blind eye’. Corporal punishment still prevails in our society because it has to do with our upbringing. It appears to be deeply ingrained in us that we need to ‘beat’ our children in order to keep them in our control.
Nikita Crasta, account manager
A counsellor is a must in every school
It’s shocking that incidents involving corporal punishment continue to exist. Reading about such things would make many parents worry about our child’s security while they are away. I think that any kind of punishment that physically or mentally pressurises children should be completely banned. A proper system should be in place, in school and at home as well. We should explain things to children. Every school must have a counsellor and a psychologist. To tackle mischievous or unruly behaviour, students should be sent to the school counsellor rather than giving them any type of punishment that would adversely affect their psyche. Schools need to create an amiable atmosphere where students would feel conformable. When our children go to school, we want to be carefree and not keep worrying about their safety.
Umesh Patil, tax analyst
In the past few years, we have heard a lot of incidents where students have been the victims of corporal punishment. This lead to a lot of tension among parents and teachers. We must understand that the issue is about pressure building on children. The most common punishment used by teachers to punish ‘bad’ students is either making them stand on the bench or by sending them out of the class. This can sometimes lead to humiliation and ridicule of the students among classmates.Our education system is to be blamed as it aims at competition among students rather than a focus on learning. Parents as well as schools pressurise them to score well rather than engage in holistic learning. So, instead of just debating about corporal punishment in some schools, we must also look at the holistic approach to reduce the pressure on child and teacher. Such pressure on children can lead them to take harsh steps like suicide. Society needs to create an ambience for learning rather than competition among children.
Anurag Modi, social activist
It impacts a child’s right to survival and development
The appaling forms of violence inflicted on children are simply untenable and fundamentally antithetical to basic human rights and established child rights standards. Therefore, we equate corporal punishment with class room violence that severely impacts children’s rights to survival, protection, development and participation.The repeated examples of corporal punishment are proof enough that it is continuing unabated despite the ban on it. Corporal punishment calls for more stringent legal action. Apart from ensuring stringent legal action which will act as a deterrent, the school management committees mandated by the RTE Act, 2009, should play a role in ensuring that such incidents do not occur. The role of students and parents should be inclusive and visible in the school management committees. Corporal punishment has multiple dimensions — it could be verbal, include physical abuse or could lead to discriminatory practices.
Kreeanne Rabadi, regional director, CRY
A child requires rewards not punishment to improve
In our forefather’s time it was commonly said ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’. However, it is realised that today’s subtle methods bring better result than old-age ones where children were beaten or slapped in school if they misbehaved. Corporal punishment has no role in the field of education and learning, since other stressors like intense competition weighs heavily on the child’s and parent’s psyche. Each child is an individual and dealing with each individual is different from all aspects. A child requires rewards and punishment to discipline, to motivate, and ultimately to mould into a responsible citizen. Therefore, corporal punishment should be condemned and not encouraged. However, it is sad but true that it is still prevalent in India even after it was banned in 2001. This could be because it is easy to practice, with no intelligent effort being required from a teacher, whereas other methods require immense patience and self-discipline.
Amit Upasham, psychiatrist, Godrej Memorial Hospital
Use methods like positive reinforcement to discipline
While growing up, children try to develop their identity and a sense of self. Corporal punishment makes a child feel inadequate; firstly, it makes a child feel bad and secondly, it makes a child feel that he/she cannot handle the environment. As a result his/her psychological growth gets impaired. What we need is to teach children how to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. Parents use a variety of methods including pampering, love, shouting, cajoling, beating, restricting to make the child ‘understand’ what’s good or bad and what technique they are comfortable with. Punishment serves as a technique of controlling inappropriate behaviour. It is certain that if punishment is used appropriately and to the right degree then it can serve its purpose to ‘control’ one’s behaviour. However, one must not forget that we can also teach discipline through explanation, self control, and positive reinforcement.
Narendra Kinger, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist
Upbringing is to blame to some extent
I believe in ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ but having said that I don’t think corporal punishment is the answer.It could be one of the means employed to discipline a child but in the long run, it will never serve the purpose for which it has been used.Schools should not adopt this as their method or tool of discipline. Children and mischief go hand in hand. So, while discipline is important, it is also important for school authorities to understand when to be really ‘tough’ and when to turn ‘a blind eye’. Corporal punishment still prevails in our society because it has to do with our upbringing. It appears to be deeply ingrained in us that we need to ‘beat’ our children in order to keep them in our control.
Nikita Crasta, account manager
A counsellor is a must in every school
It’s shocking that incidents involving corporal punishment continue to exist. Reading about such things would make many parents worry about our child’s security while they are away. I think that any kind of punishment that physically or mentally pressurises children should be completely banned. A proper system should be in place, in school and at home as well. We should explain things to children. Every school must have a counsellor and a psychologist. To tackle mischievous or unruly behaviour, students should be sent to the school counsellor rather than giving them any type of punishment that would adversely affect their psyche. Schools need to create an amiable atmosphere where students would feel conformable. When our children go to school, we want to be carefree and not keep worrying about their safety.
Umesh Patil, tax analyst
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