DOES DISCIPLINE MEANS CORPORAL PUNISHMENT?

DOES  DISCIPILINE  MEANS   CORPORAL PUNISHMENT?

13-7-2013

Discipline is one of the most substantial component that is connected with the process of an individual’s education and upbringing. In broader aspect discipline is considered as the essential element that aids better personality development in one’s life. But in our case the word “discipline” interprets only one meaning which is punishment. The word DISCIPLINE means “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior using punishment to correct disobedience. In Pakistani context the term punishment is related to corporal punishment which is apparently very common in our schools and educational institutions.

Majority of the children In Pakistan can only manage to bear the expense of the government schools which claim free education for all and the other possible option is madrassah. On the other hand, the private schools are imparting education only to the elite’ whereas the lower-class can only send their children to the government schools. At the outset most teachers as well as parents who belong to the lower income background are in favor of corporal punishment. They believe that beating the children is a good thing as they develop a fear of getting insulted and beaten in front of other classmates. The barbaric acts that are common in the form of corporal punishments are canning, hitting, beating and flogging. Physical punishment that involves severe hitting and canning are responsible for the higher dropout’s rate in our country.

Since the corporal punishment practices are explicit in government schools and madrassah many teachers and parents are unaware of their psychological and mental effects on individual’s personalities. According to a research Corporal punishment can lower self esteem of an individual, and may have longer term psychological impact too. Those people receiving punishment are more like to be instilled with rage and hostility even into adulthood. In order to minimize the vast spreading practice of corporal punishment it is important for the schools to formulate effective policies that strictly condemn this heinous act. 

As far as is known, corporal punishment was nowhere systematically made a matter of choice either for parents or students, as is now routine in majority of schools.