No to corporal punishment in school

That the country today observes the fourth anniversary of the enactment of the legislation banning corporal punishment in schools is indeed a cause for celebration. It could still be more heart-warming if there was a perceived change in the attitude of those who matter most in making a difference in school education. Well, there were teachers -- albeit their number was limited -- who never favoured physical atrocities on students on any count. Others were not averse to mete out light punishment but there were and still are a few who appear to be compulsive terror before young and susceptible students. They are mostly driven by a weird motive to teach a lesson to their students no matter if they have committed a mistake or not. Still sad news is received from time to time about grave physical injuries caused to the students by teachers - leading at times to physical impairment. In some cases, only mild actions are taken against the offending teachers.
In fact, the problem lies in the mind. If the crass mentality cannot be changed, better it would be to get rid of such teachers once for all. In some of the most repressive incidents involving teachers and students, teachers of both sexes were on the wrong side disproving the myth that female teachers are better at handling students. It is important to take note of the character of those opting for teaching profession. Those who do not have the capacity to love children should better stay away from teaching. Excessive commercialisation of education has left little time for teachers to study the minds of each student as an individual. In fact, it is a teacher's duty to make study agreeable to students. If one is unusually rude or repressive, the fault lies with the person who ought to have strived to be a friend, philosopher and guide to his or her students. There should be no place for corporal punishment in an environment of education.
Many have campaigned against this barbaric practice in the country's educational institutions. This newspaper has always supported the cause. The legislation against corporal punishment is surely an outcome of collective effort. But the achievement made thus far still remains confined to the legal book. True, there has been some improvement in some schools but there is a long way to go so far as a paradigm shift in the concept of teaching is concerned. So the focus has to be on producing enlightened teachers who know their job well. Disgruntled teachers or the ones who made it to the profession because they could not qualify for any other job are likely to perform poorly. So the production line with adequate orientation for the job has to be carefully streamlined. It has to be ensured that none other than the highly qualified and motivated will have access to the teaching profession.