Beaten to death

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Another child has died. Not from illness or accident, but from the savage hands of the very person entrusted with his education and protection. In Jamrud tehsil of K-P, a fifth-grade student was tortured by his school head during morning assembly. The boy was beaten with a stick on his head, neck, face and back. He later died of his injuries. Let that sink in.

The accused may have been arrested but the incident begs the deeper question: What kind of a system allows such barbarity to fester within the walls of an educational institution? How many more children must suffer before Pakistan stops treating corporal punishment as tradition rather than the crime that it is? Pakistan's laws — on paper — prohibit corporal punishment.

But enforcement is virtually non-existent. Schools, especially in under-regulated districts, operate in a vacuum where oversight is minimal and cruelty is often justified as 'discipline'. This has created a dangerous culture where violence is not only tolerated but expected. The community's demand for exemplary punishment is not only justified but essential.

Moreover, the ban on corporal punishment means nothing if it is not enforced. The problem is the absence of will, not the absence of law. There is no nationwide enforcement. No teacher training on child rights. No functioning complaint systems. The truth is, most children who are beaten never report it. And most teachers who beat them are never held accountable.

It is not enough to arrest the accused school head. He should be charged with murder. But beyond that, the government must move from statements to action. Bans must be implemented. Teachers who use violence must be removed from the system for good. School inspections must be routine. And child protection must be made central to our education system.