shloboe boe
Cuthbert Mavheko, Correspondent
THIS article was prompted by a WhatsApp message I received from a Kadoma resident who identified himself as Moses Chanda.
“My brother, a primary school teacher was recently arraigned before a court in Harare and imprisoned for canning a misbehaving pupil . . . In all honesty, is it a crime for a teacher to cane a pupil for wayward behaviour?” read part of the message.
This message promptly reminded me of a similar case that was heard at the High Court in Masvingo some years ago.
A Masvingo High Court judge, Esther Muremba, ruled that the canning of juvenile offenders was unconstitutional and had no place in Zimbabwe because it was inhuman and degrading. She said this while upholding the conviction of a 15-year-old boy, who had been sentenced to three strokes with a rattan cane by a magistrate, but had appealed against the sentence at the High Court.
Some people cast aspersions on High Court Judge Muremba’s uncompromising stance on corporal punishment. They called on the Government to revisit this form of punishment with a view to unbanning it. Some teachers wrote a letter to then President, Cde Robert Mugabe, seeking the re-introduction of corporal punishment in schools. There was unanimity of opinion among educators that the abolition of corporal punishment in schools negatively affected the moulding of pupils into good citizens.
There’s an old English adage which says, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” Let’s put things into perspective in clear language here and not blind ourselves to the hard, cold facts of reality. The simple unfaltering truth is that corporal punishment is necessary and effective in inculcating respect and discipline in children. Discipline helps children learn acceptable limits of behaviour. Children should be disciplined for wayward behaviour as growing up without bounds can easily turn them into moral deviants.
“As a result of the abolition of corporal punishment in our schools, teaching is no longer the noble profession that it used to be. School children no longer respect teachers. If you reprimand a pupil for wrong doing, other pupils will mock or laugh at you, knowing that you are not allowed to beat the offending pupil. To add insult to injury, some pupils often ridicule teachers and laugh at the way some teachers are dressed,” said Mr Noble Nyanhi, a Masvingo-based primary school teacher.
It’s worth bearing in mind that Zimbabwe as a nation, acknowledges the existence and supremacy of Almighty God, the Creator of the universe. The pertinent question to ask is: What does the Holy Bible, which is the Creator’s Instruction Manual to mankind, say about corporal punishment?
Proverbs 22 verse 15 says, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him.” This is corroborated by Proverbs 29 verse 15, which states that, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame.”
One striking observation that I have personally made as a parent is that many parents today view discipline in a negative manner. They regard it as a form of child abuse, reject the principle of proper discipline altogether and adopt a destructively permissive stance in respect of their children’s negative attitudes and actions. Research indicates that child abuse is an improper use of physical or psychological force or discipline on a child, often administered out of uncontrolled emotional whim or ignorance. It is caused by parental or adult lack of emotional control.
“Proper discipline for wrongdoing must not be equated with child abuse. Most incidents of child abuse stem from crude and improper attempts at discipline. Parents become provoked by a child’s apparent inability to follow instructions, by misbehaviour or rebellion. They lose their tempers and punish a child in violent anger or verbal abuse,” said a child rights advocate who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He added that there’s a right time to discipline children.
“Parents should never allow themselves to go on a yelling, storming rampage. That is not discipline. Such wild, uncontrolled emotional outbursts will only produce disrespect in a child for his or her parents. As an organisation, we speak out in the loudest terms against parents who lose their tempers and strike children in uncontrolled anger or rage. While children are young, teachable and pliable, they should be trained by proper instruction and correction.
“At times it is necessary to use a cane to discipline children for wrong conduct. In disciplining children, parents should always act with restraint, wisdom, love and compassion. On no account should they let emotions cloud their judgement. Parents should always explain their actions to the child who is receiving correction. In other words, a child must be made to realise why he or she is being disciplined. He or she should understand the justice of that correction. Parents or teachers should also avoid over-disciplining a child for a minor infraction and under-disciplining him or her for a major one,” he said.
As can be seen, discipline itself is not negative as some people have been led to believe. And yet today the word discipline has negative connotations and is often associated with negative concepts of strictness, brute force and rigid rules and regulations. The foregoing notwithstanding, however, discipline or corporal punishment when rightly understood and practised, is a very effective way of correcting wayward behaviour. The sad reality on the ground is that many people have been taught that discipline is violent, unnecessary and is a cruel and degrading form of punishment that should be banned in our schools and homes as well.
Today, a brutal cancer in the form of juvenile delinquency is corroding the moral fabric of our nation. This is a clear indication that our moral barometer as a nation is rapidly falling. But what is the source of the problem? One cannot be totally incorrect to conjecture that the problem of juvenile delinquency has its roots and origins in the home, where children are born and reared. The home and the family unit are the basis of all decent society and are an essential element in the instilling of right character and morals in children, after all “Charity begins at home”.
Research indicates that when it comes to instilling character and morals in children, parental example is of paramount importance. Nothing renders a parent’s efforts in rearing children more ineffective than parental hypocrisy. Put simply, parents should not expect their children to adhere to ways and standards of behaviour that they do not practice. A parent’s actions speak louder than his or her words. Children are natural mimics and learn more from example than from words. In light of this, parents ought to conduct themselves in a manner that evokes respect from their children.
If children observe their parents using vulgar or abusive language, yelling, sulking, or assaulting each other, there’s no way they (parents) can succeed in teaching their children to be respectful, polite and patient. If children also see their parents smoking cigarettes, partaking of alcoholic beverages and using drugs, they will not respond positively to parental teaching not to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or use drugs. Children will not naturally acquire sound moral and ethical values unless they are taught these values by their parents.
The Oxford Dictionary describes discipline in its simplest terms as mental and moral training. If we consider this, we can see that discipline itself is not a form of child abuse. It is the responsibility of parents to provide their children with some behavioural anchors. If they leave their children to mature into adulthood with no restraints on their behaviour, they are actually doing them a terrible disservice.
Parents must be consistent and avoid being tolerant of any wayward behaviour as this will not help children. They should teach their children to avoid smoking, drug abuse, lying, stealing, watching the wrong kind of movies, listening to degrading music or engaging in any antisocial activities. Perhaps most importantly, parents should instil in their children the spiritual values of life by teaching them to pray and obey God’s commandments.
These commandments were given by a benevolent Creator and outline, in broad detail, how we should conduct ourselves during this mortal phase of our existence. However, the sad irony is that many parents are making terrible mistakes in moulding the lives of their children by ignoring God’s commandments. It’s worth bearing in mind that a loving and affectionate parent is the child’s provider, protector, teacher and lawgiver. The Inspired Scriptures reveal that after the 10 Commandments were given, specific instruction was also given to parents to teach these commandments to children.
Deuteronomy 6 verse 6 to 7 says, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
It is a sad, but undeniable fact that most parents neglect to teach their children the commandments of God. This has bred a situation where many children today are growing up without any moral foundation; without any real understanding of God’s truth. This has transformed many youths into moral delinquents who are turning most cities and suburbs into zones of crime, alcoholism, drug and substance abuse, prostitution, gang violence etc.
In the past, such things were unheard of. Childhood for most of us was a marvellous golden age; a time to learn about life with all its beauty and complexity and to enjoy living in an atmosphere of love, concern, patience and delight. However, in these days of rapid change in world affairs, in technology and social patterns things have changed dramatically. The utter lack of respect for constituted authority, either that of parents or teachers, among today’s youths is outrageous to say the very least. As I was researching into the causes of juvenile delinquency — why children lack respect for their own parents and teachers — I interviewed a number of senior citizens. There was a broad consensus of opinion among them that the abolition of corporal punishment in our schools and homes was one of the major causes of juvenile delinquency.
“In our day, we feared and respected our parents and teachers. To us, parents and teachers were the epitome of righteousness — ideals to be followed and emulated. During those days, it was the norm for a child to be canned by parents or teachers for wrong attitudes or rebellious, disrespectful behaviour. The abolition of corporal punishment has changed all that. Out of fear of prosecution, most parents and teachers are now abstaining from using this very effective tool-corporal punishment — to correct wayward behaviour,” said Mrs Emelda Nduna, an 84-year-old retired nurse from Magwegwe West.
Mr Arnold Tshuma (87), a retired investigative journalist, echoed similar sentiments.
“The outlawing of corporal punishment is retrogressive and has actually done more harm than good to children. Resultantly, today many terrible things are happening in the country, which were unheard of in the past. Indeed, it presents a painful paradox to note that legions of youths in the country are now turning to crime, prostitution, alcoholism, drug and substance abuse and many other vile practices mainly because in their childhood days, they were not disciplined for misbehaviour.”
The Holy Bible consistently stresses that parents have a crucial moral and spiritual responsibility for training their children so that they become responsible citizens when they leave their parental homes. As I have already said, the home or family was designed and created as a learning, character-building institution for children. Children do not acquire the qualities of respect, honesty, dependability, personal integrity etc. by chance, but are taught these qualities by their parents at home.
It is hard, nay impossible, for children to mature into responsible citizens without supportive parents. Parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. The Bible stresses this truism in Proverbs 22 verse 6 which says, “Train a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” In wrapping up this discussion, let me point out that instilling sound moral and ethical values in children is a parent’s best assurance that his or her children will mature into law abiding, responsible and God-fearing citizens. I rest my pen.
λ Cuthbert Mavheko is a freelance journalist and theologian based in Bulawayo. He can be contacted on 0773963448 /0775522095.
