Corporal Punishment

When I went to Uganda I learned that corporal punishment in schools was illegal. However, we were told that canning was still a problem and that schools were working on it. On our last day in the school one of the children asked me not to leave as the teachers would start canning them again. I was assured that the school is really working to get rid of the canning. My first thought when I heard it was illegal was, 'okay, if they break the law it should be prison straight away'. Knowing it was illegal I did some research and it appears that corporal punishment in schools in Uganda has been illegal since 2006. So why are schools still working on getting rid of it? This really does bother me. I was reminded that getting rid of corporal punishment which has been a part of culture is a process and Ireland too went through the exact same process to get rid of corporal punishment. but why is it taking so long? It has been illegal for 11 years.

At least in St Noa's I know that a positive discipline course is being delivered to the teachers of the school and the welfare of the children is paramount. That provides me with some comfort. However, I saw how afraid the children were of the teachers. if the teachers even raise their hand in the direction of a child they flinched. Sorry but this is not right...... Children should not be going to school afraid they would be hit or canned. My argument was that you can take the canes away but the teachers still have their hands. We must remember that the teachers would have been canned when they were in school as was their parents and their parents parents. Corporal punishment is a cultural thing and you cannot get rid of a cultural practice, even if it is a bad practice, overnight. Changing a practice that was okay for so long takes time. But with the right training and support the school should be well able to overcome the problem of corporal punishment. I know for a fact that the head teacher is dedicated to ensuring corporal punishment becomes a thing of the past. And when it is totally gone the children should also stop flinching. When they see that the teachers will not hit them then they should be able to go to school a lot happier and not afraid that they will get hit by their teachers.

But then there is another problem. If the children know that the teachers will not hit them what is to stop the children from misbehaving because they know the teachers will not hurt them? I really think this is something that will be addressed during the delivering of the positive discipline programme. It will take time but it will work. For me part of getting rid of corporal punishment is respect. But respect on both sides, the teachers must show respect the children and the children should respect the role of the teachers. Only then will a school be able to run smoothly without corporal punishment. It works in Ireland, there is no reason it cannot work in Uganda. Yes, there will be challenges but they can be overcome. The teachers need to use their positive discipline programme to learn how to discipline the children without physically hurting them and this is the idea behind the programme.

one challenge i believe that the teachers face is parents pleading with them to punish their children by hitting them when they are bold. And they are only children, they will misbehave at times. I can see this as a big challenge. If the children are disciplined at home by being hit but then the teachers in their school will not hit them when they are bold what kind of message is given to to the children? I don't quite know what laws are in Uganda for how children are treated in the home but maybe some services in the country can work with families who cannot grasp the wrongfulness of hitting children. Or maybe in the future it might be possible that a workshop can be given for the parents in the school to help combat this problem at home too.

At times it does break my heart thinking that the children are still being subjected to corporal punishment in school, school should be a safe place for children. But all I can do for them from Ireland is pray for them, pray that hearts will be filled with love . It is not just St Noa's that corporal punishment is a problem in Uganda. At times as we passed schools we seen teachers with bats (not canes). So i pray for St Noa's school and all the children in Uganda that they see an absolute end to corporal punishment in their schools. And I place my trust in the programmes being delivered in the schools to combat this problem. Prayer and trust help me sleep at night.
Dear God, be with these children and fill all hearts with your love and kindness. Amen