Pupils call for abolishment of corporal punishment

Ho, July 18, GNA - Some pupils in Ho have appealed to the government to abolish corporal punishment in schools.

The pupils said corporal punishment intimidated them and affected their concentration in the classroom.

The pupils made the call at a day’s sensitization workshop organized Ghana NGOs Coalition on Rights of Children (GNCRC) in Ho.

The pupils, mainly girls, told the GNA that many of their colleagues had dropped out of school due to corporal punishment.

“Some teachers are too glued to the use of cane and this makes some of our colleagues avoid school,” a female student told the GNA.

“We want total abolishment of corporal punishment and a better way of disciplining pupils,” she said.

They said the use of insulting language by teachers also made them feel inferior.

Mr Edwin Gamadeku, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Children, said the Ministry was working on the abolishing of corporal punishment in school.

He said the Headteacher’s Handbook provides that corporal punishments must be supervised.