The relationship between the ban on corporal punishment and indiscipline in selected secondary schools in Matuga division in Kwale district

Abstract

Many secondary school teachers handle matters of students' discipline daily. Caning has traditionally been used in schools as a disciplinary measure until its withdrawal by the Ministry of Education in 2001. The purpose of this study is to examine the attitude of secondary school teachers towards the ban on corporal punishment. The study also seeks to find out the rationale behind corporal punishment and possible alternatives that can replace caning in schools. Recommendations and suggestions will therefore be made at the end of the study. Given the complex nature of indclipne among students, it is worthwhile to give a holistic approach towards formation of children. In an ardent endeavour to impart a well balanced all round formation, all stakeholders in the field of academia should join efforts in a teamwork spirit. This includes teachers, parents, community members and the government. The current spate of students' indiscipline and social unrest in schools has been largely blamed on the government's ban on the use of.. corporal punishment as a disciplinary method in schools. From a different perspective, the use of caning and corporal punishment as a disciplinary method might arguably create undesired effects. Caning students in schools has reportedly often been abused by teachers thus failing to stem out the purported offence or correct the students in the right way. A thorough understanding of the causes of students' indiscipline is ultimately required before applying punishment as a remedy measure. The punishment should also be commensurate to such factors like age, information level, .•. crime or o\fence and background among other factors inherent in the offender. It is unclear and doubtful that all these factors were considered by all teachers before applying corporal punishment and caning to students. This research project endeavours to establish whether any relationship exists between the ban of corporal punishment and students' indiscipline.