Schools have been turned into battlegrounds, with those who believe teachers should be allowed to assault children physically as a means of enforcing discipline making quite some noise in recent weeks, while authorities have their hands full trying to remind Namibians that violence in any form is not acceptable in our society.

Many onlookers may have been surprised when pupils and teachers recently demonstrated and agitated to have a teacher, who had been dismissed for administering corporal punishment, reinstated.

Last week, teachers and learners at Hashiyana Primary School in Ongwediva demanded the reinstatement of a colleague and teacher accused of meting out corporal punishment on a pupil.

Petrus Ndeulita was dismissed after he was found guilty of punishing a learner by making him hold a chair in the air for an hour. This week, we learnt that it was not Ndeulita’s first offence, as his personal record revealed a history of 14 reported cases of corporal punishment against him.

Both the ministry of education and a teachers’ union have warned against allowing violence to creep back into our schools. But the practice seems to be alive and well in our schools. Last year, 56 corporal punishment cases were reported to the Namibian National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) office, and another 18 so far this year.

During the teachers’ and principals’ conference at Mwadikange Kaulinge Secondary School in the Ohangwena region last week, education minister Anna Nghipondoka appealed to parents to train their children to respect teachers at school. She also called on principals to restore order in schools, and avoid unnecessary conflict between teachers and learners.

The minister said schools should not be institutions that have toxic environments. 

Nantu secretary general Loide Shaanika issued an external memo last week to all union members and teachers in general, warning them against administering corporal punishment on pupils.

Shaanika said administering corporal punishment is unlawful as clearly spelt out in the Namibian Constitution, which is the Supreme Law of the land, and other pertinent laws of education like the Child Care and Protection Act, and the Namibia Safe School Framework.

She added that Article 8 of the Namibian Constitution states that administering corporal punishment in government schools is unconstitutional and unlawful, and carries the burden of a criminal offence, which can culminate in the imposition of a fine or prison sentence after prosecution and conviction.

While lack of discipline in schools is a major concern, teachers should be equipped to deal with unruly learners in an effective way without resorting to violence. A teacher who must apply force, and hurt and humiliate a child entrusted to him or her is not suitably trained, and should not be unleashed on children in a classroom.

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see everything as a nail,” said Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist and theorist.

While corporal punishment is not just a human rights violation, it also has negative psychological effects such as increased aggression, anti-social behaviour and mental health issues like bringing anxiety and depression in children.

There is also the latent risk of corporal punishment escalating to child abuse.

Violence begets violence, and corporal punishment teaches children that violence is an acceptable way of resolving disputes or to exert control, perpetuating the cycle of violence further.

There are effective positive alternatives to impose discipline among children that are more humane and focus on communication, understanding and problem-solving to address behavioural issues.

It is time to bury the cane.