CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to implement the Guidelines for Elimination of Corporal Punishment in Schools (GECP) devised by the National Commission for Protection Child Rights (NCPCR) and form school level committees to monitor its scrupulous implementation.
“The first respondent-principal secretary, School Education department, is directed to implement the GECP provided by the NCPCR,” Justice SM Subramaniam said in an interim order passed recently on a petition seeking implementation of the guidelines.
He directed the government to communicate the guidelines to all the school education department authorities at the district level so as to follow the guidelines scrupulously to protect the mental health of the children. He asked for holding awareness events on the guidelines.
The judge pointed out that the idea is not only for elimination of corporal punishment but also to take note of any indirect form of harassment of the children or circumstances affecting their mental health, for which, suitable remedial measures have to be taken.
Monitoring Committees
“In this context, in order to effectively implement the guidelines, the first respondent shall direct all the district educational authorities to constitute Monitoring Committees in each school, headed by the head of the institution, parents, teachers, senior students,” he said in the order.
Justice Subramaniam also stated that these monitoring committees shall ensure that the guidelines are implemented meticulously and bring to the notice of the authorities any untoward incidents for remedial measures. The interim orders were passed on a petition filed by Kamatchi Shanker Arumugam of Udumalpet Taluk in Tiruppur district.
Corporal punishment not the answer
Referring to sympathetic approach needed for dealing with children, the judge said that children, especially in their formative years, must be allowed to grow in a safe and secure environment and be allowed to express themselves in their own voices. “Trying to downsize their voices and views by imposing corporal punishments is not the answer,” he noted.
Untoward experience will have unpleasant impression
Moreover, the judge stated that any untoward experiences of the child may have a long-lasting unpleasant impression, capable of shaping the character of the child in unpalatable ways. Corporal punishment is never the solution to guide the children, who have to be inspired by the respectful and dignified conduct of the adults. Controlling the child through unjustifiable measures will serve no purpose and instead do more harm than good. Patience is the key quality required for handling children, he said.