Injuries and deaths due to beatings at school, suicides committed by students when they receive punishment at the hands of their teachers – these news have lost their shock value, they seem to occur every other day. A recent case was that of Rouvanjit Rawla of the prestigious La Martiniere School in Kolkata, who committed suicide after being caned by the principal.  Though parents too are guilty of this misdemeanour, it is mostly teachers who get into the news for whatever reason. It may be because parents are more careful, the child being their own and they ensure that they do not react extremely to their children’s follies.  Let us consider corporal punishment from the point of view of both teachers and students.  What is it that prompts teachers who play an important role in moulding a child’s character to raise their hand against their students?  Is it possible that the teachers want to show-off the power they wield? I have personally seen a teacher throw a heavy black-board duster at students when they have failed to solve a mathematics problem, where they has been no instigation whatsoever on the part of the students. Don’t these knowledgeable teachers pause to consider the implications of their thoughtless action? What if the child gets hurt?  It may be anger which makes the teacher hit a child. When a student interrupts the lesson by misbehaving or is a nuisance at school, the teacher may get quite mad at him. Without thinking of the consequences, without thinking about right or wrong, he may resort to caning the student. The issue may be a small one and there will be other ways to tackle the problem but rage literally stops the thinking process of a person and the teacher acts blindly on a reflex.  Or is it helplessness on the part of the teacher? When unable to control a particularly naughty student, the teacher who is at his wits’ end may decide that corporal punishment is the only way out.  What about the student? How will corporal punishment affect him?  The child may feel belittled, more so if the punishment is … [Read more...]