Mark Twain is famously recorded as saying, “Never argue with a fool. Onlookers might not be able to tell the difference”; while Woody Allen cautioned, “Never argue with a fool; they will lower you to their level and then beat you with experience”. The leaders and members of the BNTU are certainly not fools but their recent arguments are so devoid of logic that one cannot but help wonder what the real agenda is. It cannot be the issue of corporal punishment since all parties agree that corporal punishment in schools must be stopped. Therefore, arguments in favour of beating children are irrelevant to the current discussion. The argument that corporal punishment must remain in place until other forms of discipline can be introduced is also irrelevant since the government has agreed to postpone the implementation of this part of the education bill for six months while this is done. In any case, corporal punishment is already highly restricted; it can only be administered by the Principal who must keep a detailed log of all instances. Since the schools have been running under these rules for at least the past twenty years, one would assume that they already have other disciplinary measures in place.
Almost everyone also agrees that good discipline in the classroom depends on effective classroom management, so it hardly seems fair to punish children for the incompetence of a few of their teachers. Any student can tell you that good teachers hardly ever need to punish their students in any way. It is the inadequate and inexperienced teachers who punish with lines, demerits and physical force. Those who argue that the current levels of violence in our society indicate the need for harsher punishments ignore the fact that the society we have today is based on a culture of corporal punishment; so corporal punishment obviously does not work. The opposite view, that we cannot teach children the value of non-violence by beating it into them, makes more sense.
As with all foolish arguments, there are many exaggerations and twisting of meanings. The Ministry of Education is not advocating classrooms and schools with no discipline, run by the students. Experienced educators recognize that children learn better in a well disciplined atmosphere free of fear and humiliation. Some older people will say that corporal punishment did not harm them and this may be true. But take a look at our most hardened criminals and you will find that a very large proportion of them have suffered physical abuse from parents and teachers. It has fed resentment and rage, not obedience.
BNTU spokespersons have claimed that only teachers who are in the classrooms can know what the solutions to educational problems are but at the same time maintain that it is not their job to find answers. This argument would leave the veto for all military strategy in the hands of privates and the final decision on the design of nuclear power stations with the workers who clean the tanks. Undoubtedly, those who are involved in any endeavour should be consulted and their views taken into account, but often a higher level of expertise is of paramount importance. Speaking of consultation and lack of respect, consider this as an argument that runs both ways. Most school administrations do not consult with parents when they make decisions affecting both parents and children. Since the issue of corporal punishment was first raised over twenty years ago, the BNTU has never suggested that the issue be discussed at Parent/Teacher meetings to find out what parents think. In fact, Parent/Teacher meetings are generally just ‘Teachers lecturing to Parents’ meetings. No respect there.
Undoubtedly, some of the protesters are motivated by partisan political loyalties, but there are many others who are not. Some are high on the euphoria of being a Power Player; some cannot accept that there will be no pay raise this year; some are unnerved by their lack of classroom management; others are swept along by solidarity to the group.
In any case, we face so many far more serious issues in education and society on which we can more usefully focus our energies. Capital punishment in schools is a dead horse we should stop flogging.
