CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 May 1936, Page 11

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

AUCKLAND SCHOOLS SYSTEM [PER press association.] AUCKLAND, May 7. A ruling that the Board strongly disapproved of corporal punishment for inability to do school work, but considered that teachers should have the right to inflict corporal punishment for serious offences, was given by Mr. T. U. Wells. Chairman of the Auckland Education Board, at a meeting of the Board. Mr. W. J. Campbell drew the Board's attention to recent correspondence in the Press on the subject of corporal punishment.in schools. He pointed out that under the regulations framed by the Boaikl five years ago, all corporal punishments should be entered by teachers in the punishment book, and he asked if that was being done. The Chairman said that punishment books were examined every quarter by the Secretary (Mr. Dunlop), who would report to the Board any instances of too severe punishment. “I have written to one or two teachers regarding punishments shown in their books,” stated Mr. Dunlop, “but we have to depend on the teachers being honest enough to enter in their books particulars of every infliction of corporal punishment. We have no check on whether they do or not.” “Teachers -of the type that is given to inflicting excessive corporal punishment are not likely to enter up their punishment books correctly,” remarked Hon. A. Burns. “A teacher who relies on the cane to teach is as out-of-date as the captain who used to think that man-o-warsmen would not work or fight unless they were flogged frequently, but I think there are some grounds for the complaints.” Mr. Dunlop reported having held inquiry into an alleged case of excessive punishment. The parents and teacher differed as to the amount of punishment given, though the teacher admitted giving more than she should have done. It was found that no entry had been made in the punishment book. The Board decided to censure the teacher, and to an vise her that in the event of her again failing to enter punishments in the returns, the Board would consider terminating her engagement.