Licence to hit?

By Tahsin Hyder Maple Leaf International School, Dhaka
21 August 2005, 18:00 PM
Do we beat a prisoner in jail for being a murderer? Do we beat a mammal, which doesn't understand our language? So why do we support the way children are beaten in schools and houses? To many, beating children is something regular. In the name of discipline sons, students and servants are tortured physically and mentally.

Dipu, a student of class four, died in hospital on July 5, after being hit by his teacher in the school. Some days later his teacher also killed a madrassah student. Do teachers have a special licence to hit and kill?

A teacher should be a student's best friend. They teach us to impart knowledge. If a student faces any kind of problems in class than it is the teacher who has the responsibility to solve those problems. Children will adopt behaviours of the adults. When parents or teachers use abusive words to children, they learn them and use these words in future. If a child does something wrong, teachers or parents must talk first, if it doesn't work then they must think about other alternatives, but not any violent action.

I strongly believe beating children will not help anyone, rather it will only create new problems.