Corporal punishment is passe , claim most schools. However , parents and cops do not agree. The primitive practice - banned by Delhi High Court over a decade ago - still finds resonance among a section of teachers . The problem is that teachers, rooted in archaic ideologies, refuse to let go of control in the name of discipline, feel experts.
Cut to 2007. A 19-year-old teacher at a school in Mohan Nagar allegedly stripped a six-yearold nursery student and made her stand on a desk for not doing her homework. Often, the gravity of such cases comes to the fore only after a media frenzy, much like in the Shanno Khatun case in 2009. Shanno, an 11-year-old allegedly died after being forced to stand in the sun for hours at an MCD school. In the past five years, 13 such instances have been reported to the police. Cops say that in such cases it is difficult to gather evidence because children -the sole eyewitnesses - are easily intimidated .
But there has been a transition in the way parents react to such matters. "Though hardly any cases are registered - parents back out fearing that the child's future may be jeopardized - we have become more pro-actively involved in settling issues involving teachers ," said a police officer.
Experts say that sparing the rod is not enough. Teachers must develop a strong bond with every child in the classroom. But teachers say it's a challenge no training institute ever prepares them for. Prohibited from slapping, spanking or caning children, teachers feel powerless. At times, they even face opposition from parents for scolding kids. Teachers say they cannot get anywhere unless parents cooperate with them. After all, bringing up a child is a collaborative effort.
Teachers feel that it is wrong on the part of authorities to single them out every time they try to discipline a child. "Often parents question our authority to be strict with their child when 'corporal punishment' is banned. It's difficult to assure them that we mean no harm," says a teacher from a west Delhi school. Schools claim they have been largely successful in implementing the ban on corporal punishment with clear instructions issued to teachers. National Progressive Schools Conference organizes workshops suggesting alternative ways of controlling indiscipline.
But parents feel otherwise. Mira Sabharwal, a parent, recalls an incident when her son was bullied by fellow students but the teacher refused to listen to him. "She scolded my son for behaving like a victim and snubbed us when we intervened," Sabharwal said.
Ashok Pandey, principal, Ahlcon International School, suggests a collaborative approach between parents and teachers in such a situation.
