Tanzania: Public schools to continue using corporal punishment

Written by DAILY NEWS Reporter.

CORPORAL punishment will continue to be instituted in public schools to ensure discipline among pupils and students, the government has said. Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Mr Philipo Mulugo, said in Dar es Salaam during the launch of an education website, www.shuledirect.co.tz, meant to be a platform for interaction among secondary school students.

Mr Mulugo stressed on the importance of corporal punishment in schools as a means of enhancing performance as the move would keep discipline among the students. “We know the move to re-introduce caning in schools would attract a lot of criticism, especially from those who call themselves as human rights activists,” he said.

The punishment was previously banned on grounds that it violated human rights. But, Mr Mulugo said absence of corporal punishment contributed to the decline of discipline in schools, and consequently may have contributed to the ongoing fall in the performance in exams. “When I was a teacher in Mbeya one of the schools I taught was highly discipline compared to others because of the use of canes,” he said.

He also came to the defence of the Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Dr Shukuru Kawambwa over mass failure of students in last year’s national exams, arguing that the issue of education was ‘crosscutting’ that needed involvement of every stakeholder. He said people should also think on how they could help in improving the country’s education, instead of only complaining.

He commended the initiative by individuals who created the education website, saying the move would help in combating challenges of lack of text books in schools as students would access materials in soft copy for free. However, he appealed to students not to abuse the website for and use for purposes that ar4e not educational.

The website, founded by Ms Faraja Nyalandu, would enable students to acquire study notes, online quizzes, science practicals, past national exams, life skills, students’ clubs and competitions for free. Students would also have the opportunity to interact and discuss various lessons among themselves and post questions to the virtual teachers who have been deployed for the website.

“I don’t think where you come from makes you smart, a student in Japan does not mean is brighter than the one in Tanzania, and my child who studies in Dar es Salaam doesn’t mean that is brighter than her cousin who lives In Singida,” said Faraja. She urged the students to make good use of the website for benefit of themselves and the nation as a whole.

Source: Daily News (09/04/2013): http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/16246-public-schools-to-continue-using-corporal-punishment