Minister must ban corporal punishment in schools, says Opposition
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Opposition spokesperson on education and youth Senator Kamina Johnson Smith is calling on Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites to ban the use of corporal punishment in all schools and begin a system-wide programme to give educators alternatives.
Her comment comes on the heels of reports of another child being injured in a school from an alleged beating with a ruler.
Senator Johnson Smith says the time has come for Jamaica to take another step in the modern education and discipline of our students.
“It has been proven that beating children has a negative impact on their development. We have seen several incidents where students have been bruised and damaged physically by these acts, and we won’t see the emotional damage until later,” Senator Johnson Smith was quoted in a news release from the Jamaica Labour Party on Tuesday.
The senator noted that not only is corporal punishment in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Jamaica is a signatory, but there is no developed country in the world where corporal punishment in schools is allowed.
“The Government must lead and must set the example. During our recent time in government, former Minister of Education Andrew Holness banned corporal punishment in schools because he recognised the damage being done to our children through maintaining the practice of beatings,” Johnson Smith said. “We understand the concerns of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, but we know there is another way.”
She said that is a “kinder and gentler” society is to be created, “we must get rid of violence, including against children as a means of correction, and there is no better place to start than in our schools”.
“There are better ways to discipline children and training is probably necessary for us to learn these better ways; training of parents and educators,” Johnson Smith said. “The minister must take the lead in providing this support to teachers and schools, but the time is long past for us to take this concrete step in the education system.”
