AN EXAMINATION OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE USE OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IREPODUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

ABSTRACT

        The research work was set out to find out the Examination of parents and Teacher’s perception and attitude toward the use of corporal punishment in Secondary School in Irepodun LGA.

          Data were collected from two hundred randomly selected students through influence of an examination of parents and teachers perception and attitude towards the use of corporal punishment in secondary schools questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using frequency, counts, percentage and t-test.

          The results revealed that there were no significant differences in the influence of corporal punishment in secondary schools in Irepodun Local Government Area however found on the basis of parent and teachers perception and attitude.

          Based on the findings, it was recommended that government should stop changing of educational system without reference to the effect on children in schools.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

        The use of corporal punishment in our schools in Nigeria today has generated a lot of controversy among Nigerians. Before the Advent of formal education in Nigerian, corporal punishment was the means of maintaining discipline.

        The family has used the care as a means of correcting the child. Those who introduced formal Education in Nigerian also used corporal punishment. In Quranic schools, Mallam (Teacher) were seen holding a long whip in front of their pupils which could reach almost each pupil. Infact the whip facilitate the concentration of the children (pupils) in learning Quranic schools.

        While the Quranic schools were mostly in operation in the Northern part of the country. The missionaries introduced Western Education through the south but also made use of corporal punishment. The uses of the care for discipline children religions institutions were also supported.

        The use of corporal punishment nowadays has however generated a lot of arguments among schools such as philosophers, sociologist and psychologists. Such people like J.J. Rousseau; Quintillion to mention but a few. There is no concession on the use of corporal punishment because it has generated a lot of controversy.

        One school of thought believes that corporal punishment should be used in schools. They maintained that its abolition would lead to a break down of school discipline and pupils will become lawless. It was because of this that the military government posted soldiers to our schools to maintain discipline through the use of the cane. To make the use of corporal punishment especially the use of cane is a reality.

        President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976 to 1979 witnessed the public fogging of a student in one of the secondary schools in Sokoto during his tour to the state.

        Some religion leaders who believed in the use of corporal punishment made reference to use Holy Bible. For example, in the book of Proverb Chapter Thirteen Verse Twenty Four: Stated that he that spared his rod hated his son but he that loveth him chastened”. Also in the same Proverbs Chapter Twenty Nine Verse Fifteen, is written, “the rod and reproof given wisdom but a child left to him bringeth his mother to shame.” What these two verses are saying is that we should beat the child wherever he or she commits an offence. These people believed that corporal punishment is very important in our schools is discipline is to be achieved.

        Finally, they concluded that the current vices like Murder, Armed Robbery, and house-breaking Laziness. Sexual immorality, Alcoholic addiction embezzlement and all other ills of our society may likely be traceable principally to indiscipline at home and in the school.

        That might be one of the reasons why the Government of General Buhari and Late Tunde Idiagbon launched the Ware Against Indiscipline (WAI) to inculcate the sense of discipline.

        On the other side of the argument, some argued that it is not possible to punish and reform simultaneously as punishment is essentially damaging to the offender.

        The proponents of this view often refer to school incidents such as physical beating, pulling of ears, knocking of the heads which some times result into permanent physical damages and often lead to teacher–parent student conflicts. For example, a secondary school a student was cared by his teacher in the process the student sustained severe eye injury. The schools of thoughts uphold the view that corporal punishment hardens some student’s heart and makes them notorious in school while some left school entirely.

        Some people maintained that some teacher who believe in Education as an end in itself any student who does not share this belief receive the same administered corporal punishment. Some teachers do it as revenge by beating the student next day for not greeting the teacher after school hours.

        The abolitionists of corporal punishment felt that students could be brought up morally without necessarily using too of came. Quoting the biblical book of Proverbs, Chapters Twenty-Two Verse Six which says; “train up your child in the way he should grow and when he is old he will not depart from it”. Good training especially from youth is considered a good and effective deterrent of emotional and moral laxity.

        Professor Kwaku Adaevoh a one time Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos said that father should try to bring their children to persuasion and create a dialog by talking from experience which is the best Teacher, “charity begins at home”.

        The home (parents) should teach their children the will of God. They should teach them what God want from man. His love and punishment that awaits evil doers. In other words the child that has been nurtured on the importance of doing God’s will by obedience to the Ten Commandments will try as an adolescent or adult to mirror the personality of his maker. He is therefore less likely to manifest delinquent and other aberrant patterns of behaviour.

        Thus, because of the evil effect of corporal punishment, the old western region banned the use of the cane in schools when the Universal free primary Education was introduced in 1955. However despite its abolition some teachers still use it in some schools. Inspite of the use of corporal punishment in all institutions, acts of indiscipline and lawlessness are still rampant in our schools.

        It is necessary to point out that teacher’s opinion on the use of corporal punishment are not the same. Some of their felt that the abolition would increase the moral decadence in Schools. Some believed that the use of cane is part of our tradition and should be freely used if we want discipline to be maintained in our school. On the part of the students corporal punishment and also hate the teachers who indulge in it. Such teachers are targets of attack during student riot.

        Because of the different opinions on the issue of corporal punishment, researcher therefore proposes to survey the attitudes of teachers towards the use of corporal punishment and compare, it with those of the students in some selected secondary schools in Irepodun Local Government  Area of Kwara State.