Dear Editor,

This is in response to your recent article regarding corporal punishment. As a means of maintaining order, discipline and high academic achievement, corporal punishment is an absolute necessity. Many have argued that this is an abusive form of punishment and that there are more productive means of getting students to conduct themselves appropriately. For example, it is suggested that we could sit down with the student and find out the underlying cause of his behaviour, and maybe after months, if not years of vigorous psychological counselling and behavioural modification the student would be able to conduct himself appropriately. The problem with this method is that we don’t have the resources, financially or otherwise, to implement these programmes. Therefore, we have to decide on the best course of action, given the limits of our resources. Life requires that we make tough choices. For example, most people, if given the option, would rather live in a mansion and drive a Mercedes, but in reality because of limited resources, the great majority of us are forced to live in the house where we are and drive the car we have.

This is in response to your recent article regarding corporal punishment. As a means of maintaining order, discipline and high academic achievement, corporal punishment is an absolute necessity. Many have argued that this is an abusive form of punishment and that there are more productive means of getting students to conduct themselves appropriately. For example, it is suggested that we could sit down with the student and find out the underlying cause of his behaviour, and maybe after months, if not years of vigorous psychological counselling and behavioural modification the student would be able to conduct himself appropriately. The problem with this method is that we don’t have the resources, financially or otherwise, to implement these programmes. Therefore, we have to decide on the best course of action, given the limits of our resources. Life requires that we make tough choices. For example, most people, if given the option, would rather live in a mansion and drive a Mercedes, but in reality because of limited resources, the great majority of us are forced to live in the house where we are and drive the car we have.

Most people also believe that we should have free universal health care and all you need to do is just walk into a hospital or a clinic and there would be a host of doctors and nurses immediately attending to our needs, but in reality we just can’t afford it, and that is why we receive the kind of health care that we do. This is an unfortunate fact, but that’s just the way things are. Now, with this clear understanding, we could all agree that there is a difference between what is ideal and what is real. Yes, we should strive to achieve the ideal, but in the meantime we should take into account our limited resources and keep it real. Many of us who have seen the benefits of corporal punishment fail to comprehend the logic behind this dispute.

The current problems regarding students’ poor behaviour is no different from that of the past. What is different is the way it is addressed. In the past, we knew that if we saved the rod we would spoil the child. Today we are more concerned about students not being flogged than we are about their poor academic performance and misbehaviour. This is due in part to the precepts of the modern parent who is more educated, but less intelligent. We have also failed to realise that there is a direct correlation between the increase in students’ misconduct and the reduction of corporal punishment in the classroom. Consequently, let us be wise in our ways and accept the fact that corporal punishment is an invaluable tool that must not be removed from the classroom.

Norman Edmonson

Bigupja2@hotmail.com