Madam Ivy Kumi gave this charge insisted that canning students without recourse to the approved alternative sanction provided by the GES amounts to assault, hence parents should do all they can to take on the teacher in question in such an instance.

“Since caning and all other corporal punishments are forms of abuse, parents can take it up. If a teacher beats a child and he or she suffers marks on the body, it is an abuse. The student has been battered and the parent can decide to report to the police.” The GES Counselor stated.

The GES has reiterated its ban on caning in Primary and Secondary schools ordering all schools to immediately adopt a new disciplinary toolkit together with alternative sanctions as measures for correcting pupils and students in schools.

“Apart from the physical pain corporal punishment inflicts on children, this approach also causes significant emotional damage. Some of the lasting effects of this method of disciplining school children include physical scars, emotional scars (trauma, fear, timidity etc.) and violent behavior.” The toolkit indicated.

Ghanaians and major bodies who matter in the education sector have expressed mixed reaction over the subject which gained national interest as they continue to weigh its pros and cons.

Nana Yaw Berfi (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )