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LADA Advises Teachers To Stop Corporal
Punishment
By Perpetual Sichikwenkwe
THE Law Development Association (LADA) in Monze has warned teachers in the
district to desist from subjecting pupils to corporal punishment, saying it
was against human rights.
The association says if teachers continue to practice corporal punishment
that was abolished by the Zambian government, they risk facing serious
consequences.
LADA Paralegal Elslony Hatimbula was referring to a case in which a named
Rusangu Secondary School teacher subjected a Grade 9 pupil to corporal
punishment after he found the boy coming from the ablution block instead of
being in class.
Hatimbula said teachers were not allowed to subject pupils to corporal
punishment despite pupils spending more time at school than at home.
He explained that a named teacher at Rusangu boarding school while on duty
took time to go round the classroom to check if all pupils were in class.
As he was going round, he found a few pupils outside among them a Grade 9
pupil who was coming from the ablution block. The pupil was asked to explain
why he was found at the hostels at a time when he was supposed to be in
class.
The pupil said he was coming from the ablution but the teacher did not take
his explaination and started beating him with a horse pipe.
The boy reported the matter to the school disciplinary committee and when he
realised that the committee was not helpful, he reported the matter to his
father.
The father advised him to report to LADA where he was advised to get a
medical report from the police. The teacher was summoned to LADA offices for
questioning and he accepted having beaten the boy.
Hatimbula advised the teacher to desist from subjecting pupils to corporal
punishment but to only advise verbally.
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