Principal of the Reynold Weekes Primary School, Anderson Bishop (second from right), guest speaker Keith Simmons QC and his wife Lucille (left), along with Sharon Weekes-Cumberbatch of the Ministry of Education, take in the graduation proceedings.
Corporal punishment should be appropriately applied as a penalty, in cases where students display unacceptable behaviour and speech.
Principal of the Reynold Weekes Primary School, Anderson Bishop, made his stance on the issue of corporal punishment clear, as he delivered the Principal’s Report during the graduation ceremony held for students making up the Class of 2017, who will be making the transition from primary to secondary school, following this year’s Common Entrance Exam. The ceremony was held yesterday at the Barbados Workers’ Union Labour College in Mangrove, St. Philip.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are aware at Reynold Weekes Primary School that children must be disciplined to achieve excellence in education. They must be disciplined in the way they work in the classroom. They must be disciplined in conduct, attitudes and behaviour,” Bishop told those gathered.
“The School Positive Behaviour Management programme is practised at the school. Strategies such as counselling, conferences and suspensions are good strategies. However, I believe that corporal punishment as a penalty for unacceptable behaviour and speech, should be appropriately applied. It provides an immediate response to bad behaviour and when it is applied, students do not lose valuable time away from school, as occurs when they are suspended,” he further commented.
Stressing that he is aware of the “anti-corporal punishment” views put forward by some professionals based overseas and that several countries in Europe and some states in the USA have banned corporal punishment, Bishop however suggested that local education officials need to be careful in following international trends.
“The question I ask is, ‘Has the behaviour of students in those countries improved because corporal punishment has not been administered?’
We have to be careful of how readily we are to suggest or make decisions, having attended international workshops and conferences,” he said.
The principal later added, “My research tells me that some of those countries which banned corporal punishment are debating the benefits of reintroducing corporal punishment in schools and homes, in order to restore discipline in children.”
Lending his voice to the issue, guest speaker Keith Simmons QC, also placed on record his view that the use of corporal punishment should not be abandoned in Barbados.
“If students behave badly and there is no reasonable explanation for that behaviour … a lash or two will suffice. In fact, it will send a message to others who would want to follow that bad behaviour at school,” Simmons suggested.
Noting that some anti-corporal punishment advocates are suggesting that you simply talk to children who display high levels of indiscipline, he however maintained that while talking is good, after a time you have to stop talking and do something. (RSM)