Teachers believe punishing a kid is 'normal' and in Indian 'culture'

Though the Right to Education Act which came into effect in 2010 prohibits physical punishment and mental harassment in the school education system and also mandates punishment for violation of the same, majority of the teachers in India feel that punishing a child is a part of “normal” upbringing and “Indian culture”.

They thrash children as they were thrashed in schools too and they don’t even consider a little smack as punishment. A study paper of National Commission for Protection of the child Rights (NCPCR) describes such justifications given by teachers. Teachers say, “They were hit in schools but it didn’t do any harm. On the contrary, it helped them achieve success.” 

Such beliefs and lack of sensitization among the teaching fraternity gives legitimacy to corporal punishment in schools. Majority of teachers don’t even know the ill-effects of the thrashing.

Prashant Redij, spokesperson of the School Principal Association of Maharashtra admits that a large number of teachers are resorting to corporal punishment. “They believe that punishment would help kids improve in academics and make them a better person.” 

Studies say physical punishment is effective at a short term level but it causes long-term behavioural problems in the child such as low confidence, aggressive behaviour and emotional instability. Above all, it violates the dignity and human rights of the child, the Delhi High Court had said in the 2000 verdict. It also leads to a large number of dropouts. But, teachers are yet to learn these lessons even though the government claims otherwise.

“Many people have joined teaching profession after failing to make a career of their choice. Their frustration takes the form of harassing children. This explains the rise in corporal punishment in the last few years,” says prof Hari Chandan, teacher educator and director of Institute of Open and Distance Learning, Mumbai University.

While RTE Act seeks to ensure safe and healthy learning environment in school with emphasis on all-round development of children, teachers, the major stakeholder in the delivery system, feel they are at the receiving end. The “no-fail policy” up to class 8 is another sore point leading to classroom conflict.

Blaming “wrong education policies” for the “mess”, Prashant Redij, spokesperson of Maharashtra School Principals Association, rues, “Kids have got an upper hand in the classroom after the implementation of the “no-fail policy” up to class 8. They don’t concentrate on studies and don’t listen to teachers who are under tremendous pressure as their workload has increased many folds with the RTE Act coming into effect.”

Under the RTE Act, teachers are not only supposed to handle “inclusive” classrooms but are also supposed to ensure the all-round development of the child, building his/her knowledge and talent through a child-friendly and child-centred learning. “This is unrealistic for many schools considering constraints like skewed pupil teacher ratio, lack of resources and support from the parents,” says Redij.

“The government also puts teachers into mandatory works like census, election and polio drives against their wish. This often becomes so traumatic that a few teachers have lost their life during the Lok Sabha election,” says Uday Nare, a teacher at Hansraj Morarji Public School, Andheri. The pressure leads to headache, back-pain, diabetes and high blood pressure among many teachers. 

Above all, many teachers in the private and the government sector both struggle to get their salary dues and for regularisation.

No jail term, only disciplinary action
Corporal punishment doesn’t invite jail term under the RTE Act. A provision in this regard was proposed in a bill to amend the Juvenile Justice Act but dropped later. It had proposed up to three years in jail and a fine for errant parents and imprisonment between six months and 10 years for teachers and school management officials, depending on the extent of the child’s injuries.
“The Act makes offence punishable “as per service rule” but doesn’t specify the exact nature of punishment, giving private schools a long rope,” says an official of SCPCR. For government and aided schools, service rules are defined. “The provisions include censure, stoppage of increment, demotion, compulsory retirement and termination depending upon the severity of the case of the corporal punishment. Criminal proceedings can be initiated in extreme cases," says Ashwini Bhide, the principal secretary, school education and sports department, Maharashtra.