Rule allowing corporal punishment in schools goes

Imposition, suspension from class suggested

Meera Srinivasan

CHENNAI: The State Government on Tuesday issued an order to remove Rule 51 of the Tamil Nadu Education Rules that permitted corporal punishment in schools under

specified circumstances. The rule said: “Corporal punishment shall not be inflicted, except in a case of moral delinquency such as deliberate lying, obscenity of

word or act or flagrant insubordination, and it shall be limited to six cuts on the hand and administered only by or under the supervision of the headmaster.” A high-level committee chaired by retired School Education Director A. Muthukrishnan was appointed on November 14, 2002 by the previous government to prepare an education manual for the department. The committee submitted a report to the government in 2003. After over three years and several untoward incidents, the present government appointed a team headed by retired School Education Department Joint Secretary B. Vincent to take a fresh look at the recommendations of the Muthukrishnan Committee. The newly appointed team endorsed the recommendations. As per the suggestions, Rule 51 has been replaced with a section, which recommends every child be given an opportunity to rectify his errors through ‘corrective’ measures. While making it clear that the school shall not cause mental and physical pain to the child, among the corrective measures suggested

are ‘imposition’ and ‘suspension from class.’ School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu said Chief Education Officers (CEOs) and District Education Officers (DEOs) would address school heads in their districts over the next couple of weeks. “Teachers who resort to corporal punishment cannot seek shelter under the TN Education Rules any longer,” he said. Mrs.Y.G. Parthasarathy, dean and director of the Padma Seshadri Group of Schools, vice-chairman of the committee, said ‘assertive discipline’ was recommended as an alternative to corporal punishment. The child may be sent to the library during class hours.

Decision hailed
Educationists and activists have welcomed the decision to remove Rule 51. ““I firmly

believe that the word ‘punishment’ should be removed from the Rules,” says senior educationist S.S. Rajagopalan. V. Vasanthi Devi, chairperson of the Institute of Human Rights Education and former chairperson of the State Commission for Women, said though this was a step forward, the government needed to look into larger issues that ailed the system. “The competitive climate and rigid evaluation system pressurize students at different levels.” K. Shanmugavelayutham, convener, Tamil Nadu Forum for Crèche and Childcare Services, who also welcomes the move, says Teacher Training Institutes should include in their curriculum modules on child rights and punishment.