In yet another instance of corporal punishment meted out to a Delhi school student, an eight-year-old boy’s face was painted black on Saturday for scoring low marks in his class test.
These kind of stories are commonplace these days...The question is, what is the government doing (if they are doing anything at all)to minimize such incidents?I think education has become just an election issue for political parties and very few even care about what is happening to children in government run schools...The apathy is unbelievable...What is happening to the 2% cess that they are collecting from tax payers? Is the money being used to train teachers and/or build infrastructure or is it being used to line the already heavy pockets of ministers and bureaucrats?
What kind of people are hired to teach in government schools? Is the criteria the same for private and government schools? I think not...I know for a fact that all private school teachers have to have a B.Ed. degree; I don't think government school teachers have to (I may be wrong)...I have a feeling that most teachers in government run schools are teaching there because they were unable to get more lucrative jobs elsewhere...As a result they are frustrated and take out their frustrations on little defenseless children by hitting, pinching and stripping them...What gives them the right? Power does...What these teachers don't seem to understand is that corporal punishment does not instill discipline in children- instead it lowers their self esteem...School going children are still developing and their minds are impressionable...Rebuking them in public or hitting them creates deep scars which only compound with time...As a result of corporal punishment, many lose interest in studies or simply drop out...
Some states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Goa have banned corporal punishment but what is the use of banning it when no action is taken to punish the teachers or to ensure such incidents don't occur?
Children are our future, the country's future...Corporal punishment has no place in a civilized society, period...
