The Evening Star MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1902.

Evening Star, Issue 11678, 10 February 1902, Page 4

The Evening Star MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1902.

Tttfi newspaper report of an inquiry held by the Kaitangata School Corporal Committee into a case of axPnniahment logod severe strapping of a In Schools, little girl, a pupil in the Second Standard, once agam brings under public notice the question rf corporal punishment in our schools. It appears from a statement made by Dr Fitzgerald (w’ho is a member of the Kaitangata School Committee) that the child referred to was of a delicate constitution, and that she had sores upon her hands. The mother wrote to the teacher calling attention to tne condition of the child’s hands, and requesting that she should not bo strapped. Some time after receiving the note the teacher had occasion to chastise the little girl for talking; and, despite the fact that the mother had asked the teacher not to strap the child, she was punished until, the mother states, “blood and matter came from her fingers.” The mother then complained to the School Committee, and they asked the head-master for an explanation. As a rule, wc think, it is the duty of every headmaster to stand by and support members of his teaching staff, but in the case under notice we consider that Mr Moir would have acted more prudently if, instead of imputing unworthy motives to the mother and blaming the child for not calling the attention of tho teacher to the condition of her hands, he had simply stated that the child was troublesome, and that the teacher, intending to give only a light punishment (two strokes of the strap), had forgotten that the child’s hands were sore.

Some years ago this question of corporal punishment was very fully discussed at meetings of the Education Board, at the Dunedin School Committees’ Conference, and in the columns of the Press. It was ascertained that a great deal of injudicious and indiscriminate strapping took place in the schools. This state of things resulted mainly from two causes : First, the teacher 1 s reputation, and in some cases even his very bread and butter, depended upon the “ percentage of passes” he could make at the annual examination of his school. School committees, parents, and the general public measured a teacher's success from the percentage standpoint. This led to the neglect of the brighter children and to the grinding, cramming, and flogging of those pupils who were unfortunate enough to be below the average in attainment, but who must, by hook or crook, be brought up to the pass line. The second cause for the harsh treatment of the children was the numerically weak staffing of our schools. Owing to (he too large classes our teachers, especially women, were set to manage, the teachers themselves suffered from overpressure almost as much as their pupils. With the coming into force of “ freedom of classification" it was hoped and expected that the cause for the cramming, driving, and flogging of the dullards would be removed. If a teacher finds that a pupil in, say, the Fifth Standard Class’is below the average in arithmetic, he may now place him in the Fourth Standard instead of trying to drive figures into him at the end of strap. It is feared, teachers

do not find it easy to get out of the old groove, and that they are not taking full advantage of the freedom of classification regulations. Under the colonial scale cf staffs and salaries the second cause, referred to above, should also be removed; for this scale allows of a considerable increase m the number of teachers employed in our Otago schools. This strengthening of the school staff will, we feel sure, be beneficial alike to teachers and pupils, and will tend to make teaching and learning less like drudgery than they have hitherto been. But neither freedom of classification nor a colonial scale of staff will turn a hanh and unsympathetic teacher into a gentle, refined, yet forceful lady or gentleman. The Education Board may therefore find it necessary to issue regulations concerning corporal punishment.

In the kindergarten schools the strapping or caning of pupils is unknown. Even in very large infant departments in connection with our City, suburban, and large town schools we understand that some of the mistresses rarely have recourse to corporal punishment. The strap is used only in case of very serious offences committed by the bigger boys, other and thoroughly effectual modes of punishment being employed in dealing with girls. The average age of the children in Standard I. is under nine years, and we quite agree with Dr Fitzgerald that the frequent use of the strap by teachers of this standard class or of Standard 11., in which the average age is a little over nine years, is a sure sign of laziness or want of teaching ability. In fact, as far as girls are concerned, wo are strongly of opinion that only for very serious offences should corporal punishment be inflicted, and that, where possible, it should bo administered by a female teacher, a record of offence and punishment being kept. It is not so much the deliberate or even severe punishment for veiy serious offences that we object to; but what we find fault with is the injudicious, haphazard, indiscriminate strapping that takes place almost hourly in somo schools. Prom inquiries made, we leam that in nearly every subject some teachers set up a certain standard, and at the end of eveiy lesson those who have failed to reach this standard are called out in front of the class and strapped. With boys the matter ;s different. We have no desire that our lads should grow up namby-pamby milk-sops, and therefore the same restriction should not be put upon teachers in dealing with boys as with girls. Of course, there are highly-strung, sensitive boys who feel the degradation of a flogging, and the strong and wise teacher will as seldom as possible make use of corporal punishment in dealing with the pupils of either sex. In their report for 1900 the Otago Board's inspectors write as follows;—“We now “ advocate on their (teachers’) behalf and “ on behalf of their pupils a measure of free- “ dom almost revolutionary—the total abolition of the pass. Even the name should “ disappear from school records; pupils “ should be 1 promoted,’ and Sixth Standard “pupils should receive ‘leaving’ or ‘merit “ certificates.’ ” With (1) careful selection and training of teachers, (2) such freedom m dealing with pupils as is indicated above, (3) a modification of the present syllabus to allow for the introduction of interesting manual work, and (4) the already strengthened staff, we hope soon to find corporal punishment almost totally abolished from our schools, if such cases as that dead with by the Kaitangata Scho-i (’ni-’VM-e were to occur frequent! . , ■ i.