News Reports
CHENNAI, INDIA, January 16, 2007: It all started in November of 2002 when a high-level committee orchestrated by retired school education director Muthukrishnan was asked to review Tamil Nadu Education rules and make recommendations for change. This committee fulfilled its obligations in a report to the government in 2003. However, it was not until recently that the government appointed a second committee to review the first committee’s recommendations. This second committee concurred with the first committee on its recommendations. Rule 51 was specifically under review and stated, “Corporal punishment shall not be inflicted, except in a case of moral delinquency such as deliberate lying, obscenity of word or act or flagrant insubordination, and it shall be limited to six cuts (ie, strokes of a small whip) on the hand and administered only by or under the supervision of the headmaster.” This rule condoned corporal punishment in schools and has been replaced with the following, “Every child be given an opportunity to learn of the errors in his/her ways through ‘corrective’ measures. While making it clear that the school shall not cause mental and physical pain to the child, among the corrective measures suggested are ‘imposition’ and ‘suspension from class’.”
School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu said, “Teachers who resort to corporal punishment cannot seek shelter under the TN Education Rules any longer.” Mrs.Y.G. Parthasarathy, dean and director of the Padma Seshadri Group of Schools and vice-chairman of the committee, said, “Assertive discipline was recommended as an alternative to corporal punishment. The child may be sent to the library during class hours.” Senior educationist S.S. Rajagopalan added, “I firmly believe that the word punishment should be removed from the Rules.”
The news release mentioned other advocates of the amended legislation, “V. Vasanthi Devi, chairperson of the Institute of Human Rights Education and former chairperson of the State Commission for Women, said though this was a step forward, the government needed to look into larger issues that ailed the system.
K. Shanmugavelayutham, convener, Tamil Nadu Forum for Creche and Childcare Services, who also welcomes the move, says Teacher Training Institutes should include in their curriculum modules on child rights and punishment.”