Corpun file 12377

Daily Times, Lahore, 3 December 2003

No corporal punishment in schools: Zubaida

Bill on banning punishment in schools expected soon

ISLAMABAD: Federal Education Minister Zobaida Jalal said no type of corporal punishment or physical harassment would be allowed in the country’s educational institutions.

While talking to the Parents and Teachers Association at her office on Thursday, Ms Jalal said corporal punishment and physical harassment impairs the learning capability of students and forces them to skip classes.

She said by treating a student inhumanely, the concept of literacy becomes repugnant. Ms Jalal said the Muslim religion does not allow a teacher to beat a student.

She said maintaining a friendly classroom environment has been a major priority in education and that the government was spending money to make the classroom a learning habitat. Ms Jalal said a bill would soon be introduced in parliament to ban physical punishment and harassment in schools.

She said the government had been successful in controlling the drop out rate because of its policies.

Ms Jalal asked parents to keep track of what happens in their child's classroom. Parents should also be vigilant, because they are the first learning institution for their children, she said.

She directed her staff to form a Relief and Complaint Cell where cases of corporal punishment could be reported.

............ —APP

Corpun file 12497

Yahoo! India News, 11 December 2003

Pakistan to take away rod to save the child

By Indo-Asian News Service

(extracts)

Lahore, Dec 11 (IANS) Pakistan plans to introduce a bill banning corporal punishment for children after a report claimed that thousands of youngsters run away every year to escape torture, reports OneWorld.net.

The proposed bill will reportedly heavily penalise violators both at home and in schools. The authorities also plan to reform around 80 laws that do not conform to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Minister for Education Zubeda Jalal says the draft bill will be presented in the next session of the National Assembly.

According to the ministry of social welfare, some 10,000 children flee their homes every year after being maltreated by their teachers, parents and families.

Ahmed Jamal, the head of the department of Pakistan studies at a reputed boy's school in Islamabad, was arrested after a minister, Rais Munir Ahmad, complained that his son was thrashed.

According to reports, Jamal punished some students of Class 6, including the minister's son, in a desperate bid to make them improve their academic showing.

Assistant Police Superintendent Javeed Akber says a case was registered against Jamal after a medical test. The case was promptly referred to the courts where a compromise was reached and the minister pardoned the teacher.

Federal Minister for Education Zubeda Jalal, however, says it has nothing to do with the recent thrashing of a minister's son.

...........

Teachers of religious institutions, particularly in the backward areas of Balochistan and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), are the most cruel, says a ministry report.

They have been accused of chaining children and beating them mercilessly.

..........

Another study in the NWFP reveals that over 57 percent of school principals feel punishment is necessary to maintain discipline, build character and facilitate learning.

Over 40 percent of schools allowed corporal punishment. The prevalence of corporal punishment in government and private schools is 40.7 percent and 35.4 percent respectively.

Of course, such liberal use of the stick impacts the learning curve.

Psychologist Nadeem Altaf Malik maintains that the fear of punishment affects the desire and incentive to learn.

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