Beatings of Island pupils raise concern

Press, 29 May 1985, Page 3

Beatings of Island pupils raise concern

PA Auckland Savage beatings of Pacific Island pupils by their parents have led to a call for action from teachers. The severity of the punishment meted out to some Pacific Island pupils will be discussed at a big education conference in Auckland at the week-end. “There is no doubt in my mind that Pacific Island parents are more severe on their kids than other parents,” said Mrs Fa’afua Laban, senior mistress at Kelston Girls’ High School. Mrs Laban, a Samoan teacher with 20 years experience, said Island parents were among the keenest supporters of corporal punishment. Teachers were concerned about the adverse effect regular beatings had on a child’s schooling, she said. Mrs Laban gave some recent examples: One fifth-former was regularly severely beaten by her father. Her brothers were also strapped for often minor infractions such as not getting up early enough for school. Another third-form boy came to school with severe bruising after punishment inflicted by his mother. A grandmother eventually

took the boy away from home.

“When I raised my hand once talking to the boy he instinctively ducked,” said Mrs Laban. The third case involved sexual abuse of a third-form girl over five years by her father.

Such cases were fairly common, said Mrs Laban, and often involved well respected, church-going families.

“Culturally we demand this respect from a young age. Kids are to be seen and not heard. That is okay in the villages back home, but here there is more pressure on parents,” said Mrs Laban. The Auckland district senior inspector of secondary schools, Mr Peter Goddard, confirmed that "as a general feeling some Island parents treat their children quite harshly.” It had not been brought to the department’s attention as a single issue, he said. Nga Tapuwae College’s principal, Mrs Ann Gluckmann, confirmed yesterday instances of bad beatings of Pacific Island pupils by their parents but said it was not alarmingly prevalent. Mrs Gluckmann said many of these parents regarded corporal punishment as a normal way of chastising their children.