Don't spare the rods for major offences
TO use or not to use the cane on children has drawn mixed reactions from parents, educationists and psychologists.
Teachers and parents are called on to show love and take humane approaches instead of using the cane to deal with difficult children.
The cane is looked at as an archaic and barbaric instrument of a bygone era. Although it has outlived its era, it is still a needed panacea for social ills.
However, we should not advocate its use for every form of indiscipline. Some children are bold, aggressive, rebellious and violent in nature, and what they are capable of doing at a young age is shocking.
Last year, there were numerous videos posted online, showing boys in hostels punching, kicking, hitting and slapping their peers.
These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg.
Ask teachers, and they will provide you with a long list of students’ indiscipline in the classroom.
What would you do to hard-core students who gang up to beat their peers, harass female students, own pornographic materials, smoke and behave like gangsters?
Having students who are not academically inclined in normal schools is a waste of human potential and a nerve-racking experience for their peers who are academically inclined, as well as teachers.
We have “lost” our young to bad influences that shape them to become “monsters”. Some parents have lost control of their children.
Dysfunctional families contribute to the kids’ rebellious nature. Drastic actions need drastic measures. These students need to be caned.
It can be harsh and barbaric, but it is the only way to discipline those who have gone astray. It is easy for educators to just tell parents and teachers to not use the cane on children, and instead, employ counselling and psychology.
The British, who are supposedly the moral custodians of children’s rights, advocated the maxim “spare the rod and spoil the child”.
Some children need to be caned for major offences. I remember how students used to assemble on school grounds when a bell was rung to witness the public caning of their wayward peers.
Before the caning began, the discipline teacher would read out the offences committed by the students. At home, my father had a Batu Caves rotan, bought at the Batu Caves market and hung in a corner of the room.
It was a painful reminder of the outcome of indiscipline at home. Although the rotan was rarely used, it invoked much fear.
After all, the intent is to show that parents care for their children’s wellbeing.
Outlawing the use of the cane at home and in schools will lead to a backlash, which is now being experienced in some European countries.
Sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind.
Spare the rod, spoil the child
THE debate on corporal punishment in schools will go on as long as the human race exists, so all we can do is to find a solution that works best for us.
Many believe that the cane is useful to restore order in the classroom, but others say it is a primitive and brutal punishment.
Debate on this perennial subject keeps coming back because of the erosion of adult authority in too many schools, raising public concern about indiscipline.
The situation is not peculiar to Malaysia; it exists in many countries in the world. The move to empower principals to carry out disciplinary action against unruly students comes against a backdrop of increasing cases of disruptive behaviour, including bullying, among students.
The action is part of an amendment to existing regulations under the Education (School Discipline) Regulations 1959, which is under the Education Ordinance 1957, to address disciplinary issues.
The changes will take into account the collection of 50 discipline-related procedures and circulars since 1959. The new regulations will include caning and warnings, among other discipline techniques for use on difficult youngsters.
The authorities may also want to consider greater use of back-to-basics measures, such as detention, standing in the corner and forcing badly behaved children to write lines.
The Education Ministry currently permits caning under the supervision or with the permission of a principal in a controlled environment.
A 2003 circular explains that the cane is only a disciplinary tool to rehabilitate wayward students without harming his physical and mental health.
Under no circumstances may the headmaster or discipline teacher use it to give vent to his anger or as payback for a perceived misdeed.
And, public caning is strictly prohibited.
Educators say present caning rules are out of date and a review that clearly defines wrongdoings and their punishments is sorely needed.
Teachers need clear guidelines to sort out the confusion, they say. The goal is to determine the correct penalty for a particular offence.
Discretion must be exercised when meting out punishment, especially for caning.
Caning youngsters as a corrective measure has many supporters who believe in the philosophy of “spare the rod and spoil the child”.
Interestingly, some secondary school students in England gave their approval for the reintroduction of caning, according to a survey of 2,000 parents and 530 children.
It is easy to blame teachers for the indiscipline in schools, but anecdotal evidence suggests that young Malaysians today accord their teachers little respect.
A young and inexperienced teacher may become a victim of bullying in the classroom and may leave the profession out of sheer frustration.
But, as some educators point out, schools can only operate within the communities they serve and poor discipline often results from factors outside of the school.
Much of the blame lies with parents, and not with teachers. Guilty parents must face up to this fact and take responsibility for the actions of their unmanageable children.
Parent-teacher associations must play a bigger role in tackling the increasing problem of classroom disorder.
The aim is not to make school life miserable but to show ill-behaved youngsters that their actions will have consequences. The NST Home News Opinion 12 May 2016 @ 11.00AM
Hold school principals accountable if bullying occurs
I REFER to the reports on cases of bullying in schools in The Star recently. For sure, bullying is everywhere and will happen again and again, not just in schools but also in the workplace and even in high levels of society. It is a problem seen in every society and in every nation in the world.
As far as schools and hostels are concerned, the buck must stop at the top. The principal of the school and the disciplinary head, and the warden in the case of hostels, should be fully responsible for handling bullying incidents.
There is absolutely no excuse at all for any warden to say he or she is not aware of bullying going on in his or her hostel. He or she should be fired if there is any case of severe bullying.
The warden must have a system of monitoring, through the dormitory heads and other teachers and staff, to pick up even the slightest hint of bullying. At weekly meetings, the warden must state very clearly that there is zero tolerance for any form of bullying.
An experienced warden can “smell” a bully from a distance, and likewise a potential “victim” can be spotted from a mile away by the bully, if not the teacher.
As for schools, there should be a similar system of monitoring through school prefects and staff. The buck stops at the top, with the warden and the principal.
All the discussions and measures will be of no use if the principal or warden “sleeps” on the job or closes an eye to bullying – unless he or she is also a bully! Dr K.H. Sng Kuala Lumpur The STAR Home Opinion Letters
Thursday, 12 May 2016