Corporal punishment rampant, finds study

Corporal punishment rampant, finds study

Centre Issues Guidelines As Survey Shows 75% Of Schoolkids Are Caned, 69% Are Slapped

New Delhi: School education boards should take suo motu (on their own motion) cognizance of incidents of corporal punishment and should ask the schools affiliated to them to ensure a ‘corporal punishment-free environment’. This is part of the guidelines on corporal punishment made by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). 
    The guidelines also suggest setting up cells in schools to monitor cases and define protocol for schools, district administration and state authorities. 
    The guidelines stem from a year-long study on corporal punishment conducted on 6,632 children across seven states. It reveals that the youngest children ( 3 to 5-year-old) constitute a highly abused group and are subjected to verbal punishment. Derisive adjectives have been used for 82.2% of 3-5-year-olds that is marginally less than 83.8% of the oldest group consisting 10-14-yearolds. For abusive words, which liken children to animals, the youngest age group again tops the chart with almost 54.2% of children in this category reporting that they had been subjected to such bad behaviour. 
    Eearly graders have also experienced the bitter side of school life before they turn 5. More than 65% of pre-primary and Grade-I children have been beaten by cane and almost 61% slapped on their cheeks. 
    As many as 81.2% children were subjected to outright rejection by being told that they are not capable of learning. The punishments that most children have to bear with are — getting beaten by cane (75%), being slapped on cheeks (69%), being hit on back (57.5%) and ears getting boxed (57.4%). 
    Speaking on the occasion, minister of state for women and child development Krishna Tirath said, “These guidelines will serve as an important tool for sensitization and creating awareness on the subject amongst various stakeholders”. 
    NCPCR chairwoman Shanta Sinha said that she hoped they “paved the way for children to go to school and truly enjoy the process of learning and growing up in a non-violent culture’’. 
    The study also dispels the notion that there is a significant difference between punishments meted out in private and government schools. Slapping children is a common method of control and humiliation, with over 69% of children in government-run schools claiming to have been slapped compared to 70.5% in private schools. However, hitting on back happened lesser in private schools with 50% of the children acknowledging that they had been hit on back while this number increased to 64% in central government schools. The study found that insensitive punishments like prohibiting children from using the toilet (irrespective of gender) was also uniformly meted out in government and private schools. 
    The NCPCR’s guidelines also suggest a number of measures for affirmative action in schools for positive engagement with children. They suggest that school teachers should provide a written undertaking stating that they would not engage in any action that could be construed as amounting to physical punishment, mental harassment or discrimination. 
    Another idea suggested by NCPCR is for schools to have annual social audits of physical punishment, harassment and discrimination. The guidelines suggest that results of the audit should be made public before start of every new academic session. 


Source: Times of India