Subsequently, he directed police to arrest and prosecute defiant teachers who still engage in the evil act of torture to the children under their custody.
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According to the Minister for Internal Affairs, Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, many learners sustain very grave inflictions from beatings at school but stay quiet for fear of possible repercussions if they report matters to police.
Otafiire therefore reminded teachers that corporal punishment remains a punishable crime and advised them to desist from them or else face the wrath of the law.
Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of physical pain as a form of discipline or punishment. It is a method used to address unacceptable behavior, often involving hitting or striking a person with a hand or object. While commonly used on children, its legality and ethical implications are widely debated.
Subsequently, he directed police to arrest and prosecute defiant teachers who still engage in the evil act of torture to the children under their custody.
The Minister further appealed to officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports to sensitize teachers on the best methods of instilling discipline in children without necessarily beating them.
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This is contained in the minister’s statement, in which he lamented that although the government passed a law banning corporal punishment in schools, many teachers still engage in such an act which, Otafiire observed, is an encroachment on the children’s rights and in effect barring some from going to school.
Ironically, many teachers welcomed the minister’s statement saying the act of beating children is an outdated system which must be ended forthwith.
Tom Samuel Mutunzi the Head teacher for Bagezza Seed School in Kibalinga village in Mubende district said that although in the past beating children was an effective way of improving their behaviors, this is no longer applicable in modern times.
Mutunzi said there is a host of health complications among communities, implying that one could beat a child and he or she develops complicated problems.
“And it is possible that a teacher who leaves home with personal unresolved issues could shift her anger on innocent children, so I have no problem with the minister’s statement,” he said.
And Jane Kyakuwa, the headteacher for Kitante Primary School said many schools have long discarded corporal punishment saying that the children are counselled and guided in more friendly methods, but at the same time, she disagreed with the imprisonment of the culprits.
Kyakuwa argued that the government should begin by counselling teachers and then think of jailing those deliberately refusing to comply.
Kassanda Education Officer, Abdu Ssekabira Lukooya warned teachers that anyone caught on the wrong side of the law should not expect any sympathy from the education department because this is an old law.