Children come to school to learn things, not to be punished

According to Wikipedia, "Corporal punishment has been outlawed in many countries, including Canada, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, New Zealand and nearly all of Europe." In the U.S., "corporal punishment is prohibited in public school for 31 states and Washington D.C."
All types of corporal punishment in schools were decaled as 'illegal and unconstitutional' by the Bangladesh High Court in 2011. But in Bangladesh, it is a widely accepted form of punishment, and it is happening every day in schools across the country.  
A vegetable vendor in Dhaka named Abdul Barek, who has probably no formal education, had the foresight to send his son Panir to school. He wanted to ensure that 13-year-old Panir has a better chance in life than he did.
A report in a Dhaka newspaper on November 11 has revealed a shocking discovery. Instead of learning new things in school, Panir, a student of class VII at JurainHajera High School, got severely punished by the school's head teacher, Alfaj Hussain, for a typical juvenile prank that boys that age sometimes pull.
Studies have shown that often junior high school kids behave in certain ways because of their "developmental growth." Those pranks always may not be harmless.
It was alleged that Panir and two other students were making fun of another student named Shahin for not taking a bath before coming to school. His body odour was something that Panir and the boys had found to be objectionable. So they were teasing Shahin.
When Alfaj Hussain heard about the complaint against Panir and the two other boys, they were summoned to his office. At first he started to beat them with his hands, and halfway through it he must have realised that the punishment must fit the crime.
Subsequently he asked each of the accused to do 500 squats, holding both ears while he kept count. When going home which is only a ten-minute walk from the school, Panir felt very ill, and lost consciousness. Passers-by came to his aid.
The punishment that was given to him was so severe that his little body couldn't handle the shock.
When Panir didn't come home at his usual time to fetch his lunch, his worried mother went looking for him. To her dismay, she saw a crowd had gathered around him, and he was lying on the street unconscious.
He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with "severe pain in his legs and back." The attending doctors had confirmed that his "cuff muscles cramped" on one of his legs, and he couldn't move his leg. The doctors then gave him muscle relaxer so that he can walk again, the way he used to.
The doctors also advised his parents that because of the trauma from the punishment, Panir will need psychological counselling. Where are his poor parents going to get additional money for counselling sessions? Who will foot the medical bill for Panir?
When Panir recovers from this unfortunate episode will he even want to go back to the same school where he had endured such agony and distress? Probably, not.
What lies ahead for this young boy? Will he have to sell things on the streets of Dhaka for the rest of his life? Without a decent education what other choices will he have? Not many.  
A teacher who disciplines a student in such a vicious way is nothing short of evil. If Panir was guilty of mocking another kid, then the teacher could have sent him home with a stern warning, or could have informed his parents.
Panir's father went to the school to inquire about the severe punishment that his young son had received and to confront Alfaj Hussain. Alfaj roared and said, "Has your son died? Come to me if he dies."
Later when a reporter contacted Alfaj, he made up a completely different story about Panir teasing a girl who attended the school in the morning shift. He also said on that day Panir was not wearing his school uniform, and therefore for that he also had to be punished.
A good head teacher should have a well-defined plan to discipline the students in his school. "Corporal punishments actually teach children that aggression is an acceptable method of problem solving."
The head teacher's primary job is to remember that all the students who are attending his school are in his care for the duration of the day, for their parents are entrusting him to be responsible for them.
In the beginning of the school day a headmaster should make sure that each kid who comes to school is neat and clean, not smelling bad, and is wearing the right school uniform. That is why most good city schools have assemblies in the morning which primarily work as a checking session for the students. A head teacher should find out every morning if the students are maintaining school rules.
Why wasn't Alfaj Hussain doing his job? He should thank his lucky stars that he wasn't teaching anywhere in the US, because by now he would have been in a county jail, waiting for his upcoming trial.
As a former teacher, I understand how easily a kid can get on your nerves, but giving verbal warnings are far more effective than any kind of physical punishment.
The most challenging part of my job that I often had to struggle with was - how to best respond when a kid is being naughty. I always had to decide carefully what my response was going to be when a student is being disruptive in the classroom.
There was one kid named Jeramiah in my sixth grade class who always had trouble settling in his desk after the final bell rang. Upon hearing the bell he would immediately start to chew on the cuff of his shirt sleeve. Unfailingly he would do it for forty-five minutes. Perhaps he had nervous ticks.
That drove me up the wall.
One day I couldn't take it anymore, and I had to ask the co-teacher who was out in the hall working with another girl one-on-one, to escort Jeramiah to the principal's office. He remained there until his mother got there for a conference.
I took that step after seeing him for two months chewing off his shirt sleeve, day in day out. Such repetitive behavior can take a toll on a teacher's psyche. I tried every way to distract him. No gentle or firm words worked on him.
At the time did I even once think of punishing him by asking him to do 500 squats by holding his ears? Absolutely, not. Had I done that then I would have to spend a night in lock up in the police station, and then go to court to fight the pending charges against me.
After consultation with the principal, and with Jeramiah's mother we all came to a reasonable solution that from the next day he will have to come to school wearing a short sleeve blue shirt, instead of a long sleeve shirt.
That took care of the Jeramiah problem. After about a week, the boy found himself to be the only one in school who was wearing a short sleeve shirt. Then he pleaded and begged me to lift the restriction for he didn't want to stand out. He felt embarrassed in explaining to other students as to why he had to dress differently. I relented and he never did it again.
Teachers everywhere should try to be more creative in solving problems and not make a whole load of serious problems for themselves. More importantly, children come to school to learn things, not to be punished.
Teachers should make learning a fun for the students, instead of discipline them to a point where they have to end up in a hospital. If they can't do that, then they are in the wrong profession.
No matter what a kid had done, it doesn't justify any kind of physical punishment. Teachers should keep in mind that physical punishment doesn't work. Teachers should be held accountable for causing bodily injury to someone else's son or a daughter.
Corporal punishment in schools should be a big No-No.
The writer is a newspaper columnist. [email protected]