Violence in our schools

In the late 1980s and early 1990s I went to a ‘model’ school in Islamabad. Model schools were where everyone went to school, unless you were among the most affluent. These schools, on the one end were affordable, and on the other, still able to provide high-quality education. The idea was certainly powerful and attractive to the middle class of Islamabad. My elder siblings and I were among the beneficiaries, and so were our neighbours and friends. Everyone in my social circle was a student in a model school. Yet, the behaviour of many teachers in my school was anything but model-like. In my all boys school, majority of my teachers never hesitated when it came to physical punishment. Many had a reputation of anger and would slap at the tiniest of errors. Others would use sticks and canes, or anything else that they could get their hands on. Even those who were good teachers, and there were certainly some who were, would beat you up pretty bad on a bad day. I had my share of painful physical punishment, many of my friends endured much worse. The worse off were those who were struggling with their studies. Instead of giving them more attention, and demonstrating care and patience, our teachers resorted to aggression and abuse. The struggling students were often beaten up quite badly. Those who would correct the teachers or question their judgment didn’t fare much better either. Contrary to what the teachers claimed, their abuse did not make us better students, more disciplined or better equipped to handle complex questions. Instead, it made us lose any respect we had for them.

I always thought that it was a bygone era, a generation ago, and things would be different now. The world is different and I assumed that the sensibilities of our teachers must have evolved as well. Alas, it is not true. The recent story of a little innocent boy, four-year-old Abu Hurrera Leghari, who lost his eyesight due to abuse and punishment by his principal tells me that we are no better and no farther along. Unfortunately, the story of the little boy, while being devastatingly tragic, is not the first or the last one. There are fewer things in this world that are more repulsive than aggression against children and the abuse of power. In boys’ schools, all across the country, there is rampant indulgence in this vile and abusive cocktail.

The tragedy unfolding with incidents where the four-year-old boy lost his sight have deeper roots. There is little or no punitive action against teachers who abuse their powers and resort to aggression and violence in the classroom. If there is any code of conduct that would lead to a teacher getting suspended or fired for hitting a student, it is rarely implemented. We ourselves are part of the problem, where we think that a few hard knocks, a slap or occasional caning is important for character development, discipline in life and that is what teachers have always done. We are fine as long as it is within some reasonable limits. That acceptance has given teachers licence to vent their own frustrations and inadequacies, and disguise them in the cloak of discipline and training.

As a result of the hostile environment, students are unable to learn, engage and above all think. The violent teachers not only attack the physical being of the students, but also their confidence, self-respect and eagerness to learn. The damage is often more than skin deep.

Ultimately, the strongest argument against violence in schools is not a practical one, but a fundamental moral one. The behaviour of any teacher who hits a student, for any reason, is unacceptable and it must never be allowed. Such teachers must never have a place in our classrooms, ever. Our children and our students deserve an environment that helps them learn, respects them and where abuse of any kind should never be tolerated. Our children are too precious to be left in the hands of those who equate torture with teaching.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2017.

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