a2zinterviews

Should corporal punishment be allowed in schools or not?

Yes, it should:

• It is borne out from our experience that only well disciplined boys and girls have succeeded in all walks of life and done well wherever they have gone.
• While those who have been shown too much indulgence have more often than not failed miserably. Therefore, it is better for teachers and parents to be harsh to their wards during their formative years so that ultimately they turn out to be successful human beings.
• A corporal punishment is sure to dissuade students from indulging in anti social and destructive behavior. It is better to teach decency and respect for the law in schools to our future citizens than to churn out directionless ruffians who end up in jails because of our over indulgence during their mative years in schools.
• Our schools are supposed to teach discipline and good behaviour to their students. If they give them too soft and gentle treatment and ignore their faults, it will ultimately go against their interest. Therefore, to keep the students under proper control, corporal or physical punishment must be given to them as and when required.
• The root cause of growing rowdyism and violence among today's youth is our over indulgence and leniency towards them. Instead of applying themselves to studies, they indulge in campus violence, strikes and destroying public property.

No, It shouldn't:

• Democracy and freedom imply that our students must be taught the value of understanding the law and making the best use of their time to realise their fullest potential. Driving them with rods would be tantamount to treating them as slaves. It would adversely affect their healthy self respect.
• Love and understanding, not physical force, can transform young citizens both physically and psychologically.
• No amount of physical or emotional torture can ever improve an individual. Corporal punishment can never improve or reform a student. Instead, it makes him sulky and sets in a chain reaction which disturbs his entire psychology and turns him into a psychopath.
• It is established beyond that competent and intelligent teachers never feel the need of the rod. Their own good behaviour and persuasive ability can transform even the dullest student.
• Physical punishment can reform a mature person but not a child who fails to understand its justification. He is most likely to get so much scared of the teacher that he may avoid coming to the school itself.
• Even informed public opinion is against it and Delhi High Court has struck down provisions in the Delhi School Education Act which allowed corporate punishment.