Spare the rod or end up in jail. That’s the latest warning to teachers who resort to corporal punishments. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued a new set of guidelines that bans physical punishment of students. First violation of the ban will invite you to one year in jail, or a fine of Rs.50000 or both. For subsequent violations imprisonment could be extended to 3 year with an additional fine of 25000 rupees. Heads of the school will be responsible to prevent corporal punishment. Teachers found guilty could be denied promotion. This ban comes amidst an angry debate on the issue of corporal punishment in schools across India. The debate was sparked off by the death of Rouvanjit Rawla, the 12 year old who committed suicide in February, 2010, days after being humiliated and caned by the principal of his school, the prestigious La Martiniere School Boys in Kolkata.
The Indian penal Code is supposed to protect children from being subjected to punishments in schools in India. However there are loopholes in the law that aids the use of such brutal punishments in school. According to IC section 83, any child who has not done homework or has not dressed in an appropriate fashion should not incite any form of punishments in schools. All children under the age of 7 are soused to be exempted from criminal liability and any mistake they have done. The Indian penal code, section 88 provides the Headmaster or a guardian the freedom to inflict pain through corporal punishment in schools as long as the reasons are justifiable.
We can imagine the consequences of the complete ban on corporal punishment. An important measuring rod is being removed. We can relate the importance of disciplinary rules everywhere. Discipline is not only mandatory in schools; it is a necessity wherever human civilization seeks to thrive. Should teachers be counseled for or against spanking? The true effects of corporal punishment require drawing a boundary line between punishment and abuse. We can always use mild and moderate punishments. A punishment will help a lot in halting future misbehavior. A reflection of our childhood days is filled with fun- filled memories, but we were all spanked by our parents. It was never a bitter experience. We were all spanked for good. Our parents wanted us to stop doing the ‘wrong’ and start doing the ‘Right.’ It was simply a disciplinary requirement. The same story can be understood in schools too. Apart from the few abusive teachers who dare to punish students in a sub-human level, the rest of the teachers have a genuine responsibility towards the students.
The teachers of this generation have a lot of challenges to face. Facing rowdy students in class and not being able to use a rod surely takes the student on the joy- ride. They know the fact that corporal punishments cannot be practiced anymore so there is no law to correct them. It is amazing to see how raw students come to school for learning. They are ill-mannered, full of wrong attitudes, undisciplined lot, spoilt by poor parenting and only God knows where all their I.Q has vanished. Is this an adverse impact of modern technology, mix-match of cultures or globalization? The school and the teachers alone cannot correct the young children of this generation. The parents are solely responsible for building their foundation first. The context of education in Nagaland is very different from other states in India. Every child is spoilt by the spoon feeding tradition followed by the teachers and the parents here. Unless you use a rod, Naga boys and girls will never succumb to instructions. We cannot implement the environment of Indian schools in Nagaland. Our context, environment and mentality are totally different from each other. Therefore if banning is deemed as a necessity there, it cannot be applicable everywhere. The Supreme Court’s decision on this issue must be amended. There is no clear winner in this category- banning corporal punishment. Practicing it may have adverse psychological impact on the child, but we cannot imagine our lives anywhere without discipline. Maybe it’s time we need laws to imprison any student who misbehaves inside the class. Maybe it’s time we need to seriously ponder upon how a child should be taught to behave at home and at school. There is no greater good done to us by banning corporal punishment. The children of this generation are all our future.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
Allan Aley
Dimapur
