The government should develop and implement a well-defined redressal mechanism to ensure firm implementation of ban on corporal punishment in schools. In this regard, civil society, media and the legal fraternity should jointly work against the social acceptability of all forms of punishment as it hampers children's physical, emotional and psychological growth. Corporal punishment is also a violation of International Declaration on Human Rights to which Pakistan is a signatory.
This was the gist of recommendations finalised by officers of the Punjab Education Foundation, heads of partner schools and civil society members at a function on "Corporal Punishment and Redressal System in PEF Partner Schools" held under the aegis of Plan Pakistan at a local hotel on Thursday.
Chairman Chief Minister's Taskforce on Elementary Education Raja Anwar was the chief guest of the concluding ceremony. The function was organised by Plan Pakistan, in collaboration with Punjab Education Foundation to develop a pilot redressal system against corporal punishment in PEF supported schools as well as incorporating child rights in teachers training curricula.
Ms Farrah Naz, Programme Support Manager, Plan Pakistan opened the inaugural session by presenting report of a Plan Pakistan field study conducted in the districts of Chakwal, Islamabad and Vehari to find out the extent of corporal punishment among 8-18 year students.
According to study results, overall prevalence of corporal punishment was found to be 89 percent in these areas. It was also found that punishment is practised on 8 to 12 years students and the most common reasons are students' making noise and quarrelling with their class mates etc. It further discovered that students are punished more in the rural areas; however, it does not indicate that urban areas are free from this dilemma, but the ratio is less in comparison.
Addressing the concluding session, Raja Anwar said that Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has developed much desired child-friendly schooling for its one million students by developing a composite institutional mechanism against corporal punishment in partner schools. However, he added that there is a need to proactively involve the civil society organs in this crusade to develop a society benevolent towards its children. It will also help to encourage learning without fear. Besides strictly banning the corporal punishment, Punjab government is also working to ensure quality education for all, he added. Raja further said,"We have decided to set up science labs in all PEF partner schools so that students could best learn science subjects." PEF has also planned to arrange free technical and vocational education for Matric students in TEVTA institutions so that they could become self-reliant, he added. Punjab Education Foundation has emerged as the best model of public private partnership in fostering free education in the poorest of the poor strata at the grassroots.
Raja Anwar said that punishments in schools contribute to increasing drop-out rates. There is a need that all the children are raised in protective and encouraging environment, where society is responsive to their rights without any gender discrimination.
Earlier, Syed Safdar Raza, Advocacy Advisor Plan Pakistan stressed that without hampering a delicate equilibrium of teacher-public relationship, the teachers should stop beating children henceforth. He added that violence against children is not perpetrating only by the teachers but from parents and work places as well. All forms of corporal punishment must be stopped immediately, he demanded. Raza added that apart from PEF, Plan Pakistan is also working with the provincial government of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, on ending corporal punishment from schools.
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