It is not unusual in developing countries to wield the cane as a tool of discipline . Even the Holy Bible and other religious teachings do not object to the usage of the cane to discipline teenagers whose behaviour is highly reprehensible.
IN clear and unequivocal terms, the holy books enjoined parents not to spare the rod and spoil the child. But the recent flogging of five students of the Musbaudeen Islamiya Arabic School, Ganmo in Ifelodun Local Government area of Kwara state was abnormal, brutish and mindless expression of wickedness.
THE public outcry which greeted the action meted to the five students for allegedly consuming alcohol showed that the action of the arabic school was outdated and old fashioned as there are proven and better methods to apply discipline than sheer brute force.
THE Hope frowns on this crude Kwara method of applying the big stick and feels the Kwara State Government acted rightly by asking Muslim scholars, community leaders and government officials to investigate the circumstances around the brutal flogging.
OF course, no parents will allow his or her ward to consume alcohol and to advertise such misconduct on the social media, but the magnitude of force applied by those who wielded the big sticks went beyond the purpose of correction and capable of inflicting irreparable damage on the pupils.
WHILE it is understood that students need to be disciplined when they erred, brutal corporal punishments as a form of discipline, could hardened them and make them impervious to correction .
EVIDENCE has shown that incessant exposure of students to corporal punishment toughens them for the worse and makes them more rebellious to institutions .
ACCORDING to counselors and other experts, when students undergo brutal corporal punishments, the victim develops a mind set that the worst is to be flogged or punished, and so continues his or her erring behaviour.
THIS is why counselors and experienced school administrators prefer counseling as a more reliable and proficient method of dealing with recalcitrant pupils .
UNFORTUNATELY, some school authorities still believe in the old method of wielding the cane as depicted by the Kwara episode . Though the Musbaudeen Islamiya school is a religious institution, and its teachers must be anxious to instill discipline in their products, the brute force and public humiliation exhibited by the principal on the erring students would have been lost as the victims, will subconsciously feel they are being abused.
SUBSEQUENTLY, the purpose of discipline will be defeated, and a child who feels abused enters the society to revenge the punishment meted out on him by the school authorities, which should blame itself for students later becoming bandits and terrorists.
BESIDES, governments all over the country frown on brutal floggings meted out on pupils, and when such happens in religious schools, particularly in the public glare, reviews of the reward and disciplinary methods follow, leading to changes what might defeat the religious inclination setting up the schools.
IN other words, many people lose out when school authorities carry out severe corporal punishment on students who err – parents, students, the school authority and other stakeholders.
CONSEQUENTLY, The Hope condemns the flogging of the five students of Musbaudeen Islamiya Arabic School and calls for a change in the way school authorities carry out corporal punishments.
WHILE we equally commend the Kwara State Government for asking constituting a committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the shameful flogging of the students, we feel the committee, in its recommendations, should advocate for teachers and others concerned to conduct punishments with moderation.
THROUGH this, a child will instinctively know that he or she has been punished responsibly, a move which will likely make them realize the wrong things they have done and lead to changes in attitude.
PARENTS should also endeavour to correct their children at home, because if they fail to carry out their duties, they make the work of the teacher difficult at school, complicating the situation for everybody.
THE government in Kwara State and other states should not wait for an explosive situation before they review the reward and disciplinary methods of schools, but should do them regularly, to prevent brutal flogging of students.
FINALLY, the principal of Musbaudeen Islamiya Arabic School should be made to face condemnation for his action, as a deterrent to others who believe in inflicting such brutal corporal punishments on students.