Alternatives to Corporal Punishment in Schools

Corporal punishment refers to the intentional application of physical pain as a method of changing behaviour. It includes a wide variety of methods such as hitting, slapping, spanking, kicking, pinching, shaking and shoving.

Although corporal punishment has been outlawed in Namibia, many school teachers still inflict corporal punishment on learners in an attempt to discipline them, leading to a number of teachers being convicted for this practice in recent years by our courts of law. I am not a teacher and have no idea what it is like on a daily basis for teachers who deal with children. I won’t even pretend to assume what it is like but I strongly believe that alternatives and other techniques would work.

An important technique in maintaining classroom control is to develop an environment of effective communication in which the teacher displays an attitude of respect for the student. School officials can exhibit cordiality to pupils and an attitude that they generally enjoy working with children in the academic setting. Pupils must be taught in an environment that clearly states that they are valued and understood. The emphasis is on positive educational exchanges between teachers and pupils, not futile contentious win-lose contests. Teachers can learn sound blueprints regarding pupil motivation and non-violent techniques of classroom control. It is critical to present educational material that is stimulating to the pupils and is aimed at their level of ability. Some pupils may benefit from alternative academic courses and these should be offered.

Pupils, as well as their parents, should be carefully involved in the decision making about school issues affecting them, including educational goals and disciplinary rules. Schools should have peer support programmes that utilise techniques such as dance groups and social drama groups to encourage acceptable behaviour. Furthermore, some evidence suggests that pupil self-governance offers alternative means for constructive management of selected problem behaviour in schools. Teachers must assign extra work to ill-disciplined pupils. When a pupil has to do extra work which has not been assigned to everyone else, it tends to straighten them up.

Lastly, in general, the lack of parental involvement in the education of their children is cited as one of the main causes for current classroom disciplinary difficulty. Behaviour modification techniques for classroom control can be effectively utilised by school officials. Alternative non-violent punishment includes distraction and rewarding appropriate behaviour. A variety of non-violent disciplinary techniques can be taught and utilised, such as soft verbal reproof or social isolation, in addition to the persistent use of rewards (such as love, praise and attention by the teachers). Such methods can be powerful, compelling tools, changing unacceptable behaviour and helping the locus of control to be become placed among the pupils.

-Johannes Uusiku is a 20-year-old third year Bachelor of Law (LLB) student at Unam. He likes to write on issues experienced by the youth in their daily life, from a legal perspective.

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