The Advertiser, Adelaide, 1 December 1959

S.A. [South Australia] Attitude on Caning

"I don't think there is anything wrong with corporal punishment in some cases, but I am dead opposed to caning for inability to learn work," the Deputy Director of Education (Mr. C.M. Griggs) said yesterday.

He was commenting on a report by the British Ministry of Education that corporal punishment should not be necessary in primary schools.

The report said punishment of any kind in schools today should be rare.

"In SA," Mr. Griggs said, "headmasters and head teachers have the right to give corporal punishment under certain conditions.

"For instance, the child may use insulting language to a woman teacher.

"I think the child then expects the cane and respects the person who gives it.

"But it is practically a last resort in every case," he said.

Mr. Griggs said a "tongue lashing" or denial of privileges often had a better effect than corporal punishment.

"Sometimes a slap administered fairly firmly and fairly low on the back has a good effect."

Referring to the statement in the British report that post-war children were learning to express themselves more quickly, Mr. Griggs said this was the result of changed teaching methods.

Children now learned words as a whole rather than by building words from letters.