It’s high time that we also pass a law that prohibits teachers from using any form of corporal punishment
ISLAMABAD: The news of a 14-year-old female student being pushed from the third floor of her school building by her own teachers is appalling. A class-IX girl was asked to clean the classroom on her turn and upon refusal, citing her ill health, she was brutally slapped multiple times and then pushed down the rooftop. This incident raises many questions about the management of the school: why were the students responsible for cleaning the classrooms, so much so that they had designated turns during the month? On what criteria are the teachers appointed? And upon learning about the incident, why did the headmistress choose to hide it, rather than suspending the teachers herself?
Just last year, a teacher in Chitral was remanded for assaulting minors, while in another incident a student of eight grade lost his consciousness and was paralysed after he was allegedly beaten up by his teacher. In Pakistan, teachers take pride in beating students to discipline them, while in the West using this method is strictly prohibited.
It’s high time that we also pass a law that prohibits teachers from using any form of corporal punishment inside the parameters of the school premises and even private coaching centres.
On the other hand, activities in public schools should be strictly monitored to see what teachers are asking their students to do. It is not a student’s responsibility to clean his/her classroom.
Riaz Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2017.
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