Teachers: please do not betray our trust

There must be something seriously wrong with this society when the teaching fraternity, whom we have held in high esteem in the past, trusted without question and admired above most professions, have now become 'outlaws' in their profession and a serious threat to the well-being of our children. I'm referring to the powerful eye-opening 'wake-up Bangladesh' article "Corporal punishment must stop" written factually and fearlessly by Sir Frank Peters. Last year this noble gentleman successfully campaigned to have corporal punishment abolished in Bangladesh schools, only now to find that many 'teachers' see themselves above the law and still practice the inhumane torture they label as 'discipline'. In my youth, I accepted corporal punishment, as did everyone else in those days, but we were ignorant then, had no rights, and didn't associate corporal punishment with having any lifetime damage. I always disagreed with corporal punishment in schools, certainly didn't like it, but there was no law against it until Sir Frank came along. If anyone in the street were to hit my child I would jump to their defence without giving it another thought, as any loving parent would. If any teacher now were to give any of my children corporal punishment I would do the same, and I would expect the authorities to dismiss them immediately. After all it is our obligation and duty as parents to protect our children. And why should the state pay the salaries of outlaws? Mahbub Mamun Banani, Dhaka