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The government has been warned against reintroducing corporal punishment in schools to lessen indiscipline cases.
According to Professor Ndung’u Ikenye, a lecturer at ST Paul’s University, reintroduction of corporal punishment in schools might worsen the indiscipline cases the schools.
He noted that bringing back the cane to instill discipline among rogue students might end up instilling fear and destroying academic performance of children.
Instead, Prof. Ikenye told teachers to teach learners the right values and to help them distinguish between right and wrong.
“Talking to and with our children is not pampering them, it is only a way of showing them reason and helping them distinguish between what is right and what is wrong,” said Ikenye.
He attributed the unrest experienced in over 40 schools across the country to high-handedness among students.
“Most children now think they are beyond the powers of both their parents and teachers and the high-handedness is what should be dealt with through honest discussions and not the cane,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by a group of Gatundu North parents who said that there is more to restore discipline in schools than caning the learners.
“Teachers are used to holidays which are nowadays rare as they struggle to beat the lost syllabus time. Christmas for instance is not a day but a season and for the government to say learners and teachers will take a break on December 23 is a big joke,” Moses Maingi, a parent said.
Ikenye and the parents were reacting to proposals by a group of priests and leaders advocating for reintroduction of caning in schools to help in restoring discipline among students.
