Teachers administer corporal punishment for disciplinary purposes on students especially in public schools. The punishment, which involves flogging the erring student either on the buttocks or on the hands with a whip, is meant to create a more disciplined environment.
On the other hand, while scores of educationists are of the view that corporal punishment is a humiliating way of instilling discipline and should be abolished, others believe that without it, students may take a wrong turn in life.
If you must flog, don’t do that when you are provoked.
The sudden death of Mrs Makachi Rita, a teacher at Starlight Secondary School, Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, after receiving strokes of the cane from the angry parent of one of her students, has continued to generate mixed reactions.
The deceased, a class mistress in charge of Senior Secondary School (SSS1) was said to have flogged a female student over negligence of assigned duty as well as insubordination.
In view of the ugly development, some teachers have said they would rather respond to students’ inappropriate behaviour through other punitive measures than caning them.
A teacher in one of public schools in the state, who simply identified herself as Ulunma, said it would be a folly for any teacher to continue flogging students after the pathetic story of their late colleague, Mrs Rita.
Source : DailyTrust