Increase of Corporal Punishment Case

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Even after three years of Supreme Court’s directives against corporal punishment, substantial number of cases of physical punishments has been registered in Uttar Pradesh. With the increasing number of corporal punishment cases, the state’s administration is already in doubts regarding the proper management of the norms against corporal punishment.

According to a study conducted by Woman and Child Development ministry on five schools each in the state’s 41 districts, a minimum of 8 cases of corporal punishment were reported in a month’s time. With an average of about 600 schools in every district, the magnitude of the menace can be well estimated.

Officials agree to the fact but insist that they are taking several measures on the complaint of cases, both in government and private schools. They also claim to have placed complaint boxes in all schools to check such incidents, but with increasing number of, the promises seem inadequate. However on enquiry, parents deny of any such measure, instead they have grievances that their complaint fall on deaf ears.

School authorities have been directed to address all complaints as soon as possible and officials from basic education department have been authorized to open the complaint boxes and take plausible actions.

Not only Uttar Pradesh, but other parts of country are also worked up about corporal punishments in schools.   Another national survey conducted by the department of Woman and Child Development in 2007, unearthed the real picture of corporal punishment.

Based on the experience of 12,447 children aged 5-18 years in 13 states, the study revealed a high prevalence of corporal punishment. Two out of three school children were found to be victims of corporal punishment, that is, an overwhelming majority of children (65.01 per cent) reported being beaten up in school.

The study also indicated that an alarmingly high percentage of children in state-run schools (53.8 per cent) faced...