Question

Supreme court ruling on corporal punishment in schools in india

Answer 1

With the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) warning schools once again to eradicate corporal punishment, it seems that despite a ban, some affiliated schools are still practicing the same.
The CBSE has issued letters to the schools affiliated to it, to completely eliminate such practices. The letter is intended to sensitise the faculty. Moreover, it is an emphasis on the rules framed by the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which defines corporal punishment as physical or mental harassment and is illegal and liable to punishment under sections 17(1) and 17(2).
Professor Devi Sirohi, chairman, Child Rights Commission,UT, said, “Eliminating corporal punishment in schools is very necessary. Such punishments are not always reported, but the letters issued by the CBSE show that there were many cases of physical punishment being reported.

At present, there is no provision of punishing a teacher in return, if he/she harasses a student, but the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, which is being drafted by the government, will entail punishment for the teachers as well. Teachers should know how to handle the situations, instead of punishing a child.”
The guidelines issued by the CBSE in regard to the eradication of corporal punishment states that corporal punishment leads to adverse physical, psychological and educational outcomes like increased aggressive and destructive behaviour, increased disruptive behaviour in the classroom, vandalism, poor performance, poor attention span, increased drop-out rates, school avoidance and school phobia, low self-esteem, anxiety,depression, suicide and retaliation against teachers. All these emotionally scar the children for life.