Stop corporal punishment

The latest news of a student from an English medium school in the city being beaten and bruised by an administrative official is an eye-opener to the school children's vulnerability to ham-fisted treatment.
Corporal punishment has been banned by the government following a ruling of the High Court that declared it illegal in January this year. Yet we find that some individuals and institutions have not stopped using the cane defying the ban. It is evident that some reputable schools rather than that setting an impeccable example persist in student bashing as if it were a casual matter.
It is an accepted view that corporal punishment of students in the name of disciplining causes different types of emotional problems that could lead to permanent psychological scar on their mind. There have been instances of committing suicide due to humiliation before the peers. Thus not only the young student is affected; the whole family might bear the brunt.
Some teachers and staff of schools still persist in the old-fashioned belief that if they spare the stick the students won't obey them. That is very wrong, for what a friendly teacher can achieve an ill-tempered teacher can only spoil.
However unpleasant the circumstances might get, it is the teaching and other staff that should show maximum restraint to bring things in order. At no stage should they resort to hitting or causing bodily harm to students.
It is time the concerned authorities took steps to identify the schools where corporal punishment is yet to abate. Then take a step to impart appropriate training to the teachers to help them understand and apply right techniques to handle students. Regular monitoring of schools in this regard should be introduced by the education directorate all over the country. The teaching and other employees of the school should be made to appreciate that soft and considerate approach can do miracles instead of applying force, which always has a bad ending.