CORPORAL punishment in schools and in private homes has been a much-debated issue. The COURIER asked readers what they thought about it.
LESEDI MNGUNI: “Absolutely not. Discipline is helping a student who has a problem, whereas punishment is making a student suffer for having a problem. The results of corporal punishment are quite detrimental because they include physical damage and psychological impairment.”RASHIEDA LANDIS: “Discipline in schools is no longer there. If corporal punishment is brought back, there will be discipline in schools.”OBED MAKARINGA: “Corporal punishment can instil discipline because that’s how we were groomed. But it will have a negative effect in terms of the government laws because corporal punishment is viewed as a criminal offence nowadays, so corporal punishment won’t solve anything.”JABULILE MAHLANGU: “Yes, I believe corporal punishment is the way to go. In the olden days, people used to respect teachers because they knew that if they disrespected them, getting a hiding was inevitable. But since that changed, learners are doing as they please.”
