SERIES 2
United Nations Children's Fund
UN House, Pulchowk
P.O. Box 1187, Kathmandu, Nepal
Telephone 977-1 5523 200
Facsimile 977-15527 280/5535 395
www.unicef.org/nepal
VIOLENCE
AGAINST
CHILDREN
IN NEPAL
A Study of the System of School
Discipline in Nepal
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN NEPAL SERIES 2
A Study of the System of School Discipline in Nepal
ii
Prepared by
Center for Victims of Torture (CVICT), Nepal
(2004)
Supported by
UNICEF, Nepal
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Contents
Foreword
iv
Preface
v
Executive Summary
vii
Background
1
Corporal Punishment and Humiliation in Nepali Schools
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Target Groups
3.3 Procedures for the Study
3.4 How Focus Group Discussions were conducted
Box 1: Questions for Group Discussions
3.5 Limitations of the Study
5
Findings of the Group Disscusions
4.1 Group Discussion with Students
Box 2: When and Why Students are Punished
4.2 Group Discussion with Teachers
Box 3: Why Teachers Punish
Box 4: Consequences of Punishment
4.3 Group Discussion with Parents
Box 5 Types of Punishment
11
Summary and Conclusions
33
Recommendations
Box 6 Suggestions made by the Participants
34
References
37
Annexes
39
iii
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
Foreword
Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
requires States to protect children from all forms of physical or
mental violence while they are in the care of parents and others.
Sadly, we all know children are physically punished at home,
at school, in the workplace, and in institutions.
iv
The Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva has stated
consistently that corporal punishment is incompatible with
the CRC. The Committee has recommended to over 120 States
that they abolish all corporal punishment - Nepal was not an
exception.
Hitting children is a dangerous practice, one that can cause
physical and psychological injury and even death. We should
ask ourselves: "Why it is OK to beat a child, when beating an
adult is considered to be an offence?"
the study, despite of our belief that "it is good for them", why do
we continue hurting children?
Ending all corporal punishment and other forms of inhumane
punishment requires a combination of legal reform and public
education. UNICEF very much welcomes the recent Supreme
Court decision that annulled the provision in the Child Act
1992 allowing parents, guardians or teachers to smack children for their welfare.
But legal reform will achieve little unless it is well publicised to
children and adults and linked to the promotion of positive
and non-violent discipline. Knowledge and skills to use alternative, more positive, non-punitive approaches to discipline
are very much needed.
Yet, challenging adults' "right" to hit children often provokes
emotional reactions. Corporal punishment is still a deeply embedded traditional practice, a habit passed down from one generation to the next as part of child-rearing culture.
The study also highlights the capacity of teachers and the need
for further training. As a response, UNICEF has been working
with CVICT, the Ministry of Education, and Education Journalists to develop a training package "Teaching and Learning
with Dignity" and to open public debate on the issue of corporal punishment.
This is why listening to children, and to how and what they are
experiencing through corporal punishment, is so important.
The present study unravels many untold stories of corporal
punishment. If it so negatively affects children as described in
With a wider on-going campaign and effort for "welcome to
school" and "school as zones of peace", UNICEF strongly believes that this is the right time to make real progress towards
ending social and legal acceptance of corporal punishment.
Dr. Suomi Sakai
Representative
UNICEF Nepal
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Preface
Since its inception in 1990, the Centre for Victims of Torture in Nepal (CVICT) has been in the vanguard of
organisations responding to a gamut of vital concerns
about human rights in Nepal and the greater South Asian
region. It has made ground-breaking progress in the areas of trauma victimisation and rehabilitation, psychosocial education and training, conflict resolution and prevention of organised violence, and prison reform. A current development of the centre is its focus on the practices
of corporal and psychological punishment, their consequences, and their alternatives in primary and secondary
schools across the country.
Amidst mounting political turmoil and spreading warfare
between the Maoist insurgency and the military’s response
that threaten to rend the national fabric of Nepal, there is a
greater need than ever to understand the roots of aggression
and trauma in this deeply spiritual and culturally rich society. CVICT accordingly has identified the educational system as a key point of intervention in its most recent initiative
to promote non-violent and humane advances for the betterment of future generations of Nepali people.
In the present study, CVICT has drawn specifically upon
contemporary pedagogic and psychological principles that
show the deleterious consequences of physical and emo-
tional abuse when used as means of discipline. As the following paper notes, violence begets violence and children
tend to learn violent ways when they see them modeled as
appropriate behavior. Furthermore, traditions are likely to
be perpetuated, even if unproductive or worse, when there
appear to be no alternatives, nor any motivation to change.
CVICT seeks to challenge these conditions where discipline in the schools is concerned, first by gathering information from the key participants in schools – students,
teachers, and parents – through a series of focus groups
designed to learn their experiences and solicit their ideas
and recommendations. In its ambitious scope, the investigation ranged across four major regions of Nepal to bring
together students from 30 schools and teachers from 46
schools in both the public and private sectors, with a total
of 285 participants altogether. The project’s goal is to use
this survey as a foundation on which to construct training programs that can provide teachers and the trainers
of teachers with a benign kind of revolution, one leading
to new means of promoting positive change and correcting negative behavior in school, respecting the right of all
children to be safe from abuse and harm.
The stories recorded for and reported in this paper are at
times sad, grim, and even shocking. They also provide
v
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
striking testimony for the case that Nepali children deserve better, for themselves and even more ambitiously for
the future of their nation. Addressing these wrongs is no
easy matter, and CVICT is to be commended for its clarity
of vision and coherence of purpose in bringing the participants’ narratives to light. The results mark the beginning for a major social change, one as difficult to initiate
as it is necessary to bring to fruition, for it speaks to timehonored and deeply embedded cultural practices in a
most sensitive of matters, the care and formation of a child.
In undertaking this project in Nepal, CVICT is in step with
the movement happening across the world to reconsider
the development and guidance of children in the converging domains of education, ethics, psychology, public welvi
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
fare, and the law. Just last January in Canada, for example,
the Supreme Court outlawed the use of the strap in schools.
It is heartening that many peoples and cultures are now
coming to recognise that physical and psychological punishment can in fact constitute child victimisation, not constructive teaching. With this recognition comes new responsibilities, and it is the hope of this present effort by
CVICT that it can herald a new day and better direction
for educating Nepali children with both discipline and
dignity. It is without doubt an inspiring opening and a
highly promising hope.
(William Gorman, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, &
Senior Fulbright Scholar, Nepal).
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Corporal punishment and other acts that humiliate children (including verbal humiliation) are accepted practice
in Nepal in both schools and in homes and are used as a
means to modify the behavior of children. The majority of
educated people in Nepal are worried about the punishment system that prevails in the country and the negative
impact it is having on the physical and mental growth of
children. Teachers need to know that children learn naturally and as a matter of course, not in a fearful situation
created by harsh punishment. A child who receives corporal punishment regularly loses interest in his/her studies and this further weakens his/her performance and as
a result a vicious cycle is created with more and more
punishment being given.
UNICEF Nepal provided financial assistance to CVICT to
enable it to carry out a study of the existing punishment
systems in schools and homes. A two-member CVICT team
traveled to four regions in the country and conducted focus group discussions with students, teachers and parents with the aim of finding out their opinions on corporal
punishment and other such acts of humiliation.
The objectives of the study were to find out to what extent
corporal punishment (and all acts that humiliate children as a form of punishment) prevails in schools and in
families, and how much parents, guardians and teachers
know about the consequences of such punishment and
what the alternatives are. Students, teachers and parents
- both male and female - from government and private
schools, were invited for the discussions, which were conducted separately for each group. Primary, lower secondary and secondary level students and teachers participated. The parents and the guardians of children who
are attending school shared their feelings about how corporal and humiliating punishment is used to discipline
children at home and at school. The focus groups represented a cross-section of people in terms of class, caste
and ethnicity.
During the focus group study, most students, teachers
and parents accepted that beating and humiliating children is very common in schools and in families. The teachers and parents confessed that they beat children because
they were beaten and humiliated in school and at home
when they were children and so they have learnt to use
the same methods to discipline children themselves. They
are not aware of the negative consequences of these methods and they have never thought of any alternatives to
corporal punishment and verbal humiliation because they
know very little of such alternatives.
The study has shown that primary level students are most
vulnerable to corporal punishment because young pri-
vii
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
mary level children cannot resist the teacher's actions or
retaliate. The study also revealed that such punishment frightens and mentally disturbs children and can result in them
dropping out of school or taking to the streets to escape the
home. Children also learn that the use of violence seems to
the only possible response when discipline is needed.
viii
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
The majority of participants asked the team to organise
training workshops for teachers and for parents as
well. They felt that teacher training courses alone
would not be enough because acts of beating and humiliation carried out in the home would perpetuate
the practice in society.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
1
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Background
T
he use of severe physical and mental pain as a
form of discipline is a long-standing social prac-
tice, prevalent in almost all countries of Asia. Most edu-
and he is using the same methods he learned from them.
He mentioned that his own students who have now become teachers are disciplining their students in a similar
way. Thus, a cycle of punishment is carried on.
cators in Nepal want to cling to the right to use corporal
punishment with students in the name of discipline.
They tend to hold to traditional beliefs, such as: "Hindu
scriptures say that to age five we must love the child.
Five to sixteen is the time when he must get tadana,
reprimanded (by beating) because it is during this time
that his life is made." (Sri Kapil Puriji, former Sir Mahant,
The Hindu, India's National Newspaper. 17 June 2003).
According to the ancient Laws of Manu, "wife, a son, a
Violence breeding violence is a major problem in today's
society. We do not claim that hitting children and using
other forms of abuse in school are the only causes of violence, but we argue that ending such practices would help
to reduce it. Children model much of their behavior on the
actions of their teachers. Teachers who use corporal punishment are directly teaching their students that physical force
is an acceptable way to get what you want. If we have less
violent adults, the next generation will understand that inflicting pain is not an acceptable practice in education.
slave, a pupil, who have committed faults, may be beaten
with ropes or split bamboo, but only on the back parts of
the body, and not on noble parts". (Manu Dharmshastra,
translated by G. Buhler).
In a focus group discussion, one teacher said that when
he was a student his teachers used to beat him harshly
Corporal punishment in schools is a disciplinary method
in which the teacher deliberately causes physical and
psychological injury to students in response to their unacceptable behavior. The immediate objectives of such
actions are usually to stop the offense, prevent its reappearance and set an example for other students. The longterm aim is to change students' overall behavior.
1
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
As a general educational principle, discipline is held to
be beneficial and even an indispensable part of the teaching and learning process:
"Discipline means teaching a child, self-control and to
improve behavior. A child learns self-respect and selfcontrol by receiving both love and discipline from adults.
We discipline our children because we love them and we
want them to become responsible and competent adults."
(Lynn Clark: 1985).
2
The use of physical and psychological (verbal and emotional) punishment is practiced in most schools in Nepal
to discipline students. School authorities regard such
practice as not only their right but also their duty. Teachers face an immense pressure from many parents and the
school management committees to resort to corporal punishment to maintain strict "discipline" because it makes a
favorable impression on parents and it helps the reputation of the school flourish. Nevertheless, research shows
"children who are subjected to physical punishment behave more aggressively than those who are not. These
children learn that physical assault is an acceptable tool
for problem solving." (The Archive Dec. 1997).
Most teachers use a range of physical methods of physical
punishment, such as hitting students' heads against a wall
or desk, striking them with a duster, forcing them to kneel on
a rough surface with bare knees, beating them on the buttocks or calves with a switch (a thin branch of a bush), slapping them hard on the cheeks, or whipping them with a wet
bunch of nettles. Jordan Riak has criticised one common
practice in particular, beating students' palms with a stick:
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
"The child's hand is particularly vulnerable because its
ligaments, nerve, tendons and blood vessels are close to
the skin which has no underlying protective tissue. Striking the hand of younger children is especially dangerous
to the growth plates in the bones, which if damaged, can
cause deformity or impaired function. Striking a child's
hand can also cause fractures, dislocations and lead to
premature osteoarthritis." (Jordan Riak: Parents and
Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE) 1992).
Likewise, Sri Mahant Govind Dasji has cautioned: "When
a child is beaten, he becomes stubborn. And a stubborn
child becomes a confused child. When the child knows
that the ultimate punishment given to him will be beating, he becomes mentally prepared. This is not the solution." (The Hindu. June 17, 2003).
Despite such considerations, the Indian daily newspaper
"The Tribune" reported on April 29, 2003 that "many 'gurus
not only think but firmly believe that constant fear is the key
to learning." Similarly, most teachers in Nepal consider the
threat of being beaten to be the most effective way to prevent
children's unacceptable behaviour in schools, and therefore, they regularly recourse to such harsh punishment..
While beatings can be used to control a child's behavior,
they are not likely to teach children self-control. They may
teach a child a kind of fearful respect for an adult, but respect
is better when it is reciprocated between both parties.
In the focus group discussions conducted for the present
report, it was found that besides physical abuse, some
teachers use degrading treatment such as insults or humiliating activities, such as making students lick human
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
excrement, locking them in the school's toilets or making
them stand in the corridor or outside in the rain. Not only
do many teachers report having experienced such punishments themselves as students, but they also admit to
inflicting such abuse on pupils under their care because
they are not aware that it can cause hostility, anxiety or
other neurotic reactions. Besides suffering bruises, cuts,
and broken bones from physical assault, the child may
develop feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, aggressiveness, fear, or social withdrawal.
Personal attacks, such as, "You are a lazy, stupid duffer,"
may prove in the long run equally harmful as the use of
sticks and slaps against children. Such invectives can
severely damage self-esteem. Research has demonstrated
that the abuse of children can interfere with their cognitive, emotional and social development. They feel socially
stigmatised and often involve themselves in anti-social
activities. Psychological abuse frequently results in poor
concentration, anxiety, school phobias, loss of creativity
or interest in studies, loss of confidence, irritability or depression, fear of challenges, or heightened dependency,
among other negative effects. Some children who are particularly vulnerable to humiliation even attempt suicide.
Haim Ginott, author of the classic text, "Teacher and Child"
insists that punishment only produces hostility, insecurity, and vengefulness in students and that it does not
make them want to improve. He concluded that punishment should never be used in attempting to control misbehavior and an alternative must be found. His point was
underscored by B.F. Skinner, whose groundbreaking experiments in behavioral psychology at Harvard Univer-
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
sity proved the advantages of positive reinforcement over
negative punishment. He repeatedly demonstrated that
animals worked harder and learned more quickly when
rewarded for doing something right than they did when
punished for doing something wrong. In a 1994 study of
8,000 families in the United States, M.A. Strauss found
that children who are beaten more are likely to become
more aggressive with their siblings. They tend to develop
less adequate consciences, experience more depression
and are inclined as adults to physically attack their
spouses (Strauss: Beating the Devil out of Them: 2001).
Ignorance of these basic principles among teachers and
parents leads to misunderstandings about corporal punishment and represents one of the major reasons for its
continuation. At times, students may find themselves
unable to pay attention in the class for medical or psychological reasons. Other students from different ethnic
groups may find the contents of the syllabus culturally
unfamiliar or confusing and their resulting alienation is
manifested in aggression, withdrawal, or other self-defeating behavior. Corporal punishment cannot effectively
address such problems. It will rather exacerbate the difficulties further, causing students to stay away from classes
or even drop out from school.
Statistical data from the Nepal Human Development Report 1998, showed that of the total students enrolled in
1994, 63 percent dropped out before the completion of
primary grade and another 27 percent dropped out from
the lower secondary grade. One of the contributing factors for this is the use of corporal punishment and verbal
humiliation in schools. According to Mahbub ul Haq and
3
V I O L E N C E
4
A G A I N S T
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
Khadija Haq in the "Human Development in South Asia
1998", "in Nepal, 14 percent of children claimed to have
dropped out of school because they feared the teacher."
(Haq 1998: 81). Another measure of the prevalence of abuse
of students was reported by of the Child Workers in Nepal
Concerned Centre. It recorded 188 cases of corporal punishment in Nepali schools in the first half of last year.
(The State of the Rights of the Child in Nepal Bi-annual
National Report January to June 2003).
and Delhi) have already banned the practice, and the state
government of Punjab and Sindh have also banned corporal punishment in Pakistan.
These conditions have prevailed despite the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 19(1)
requires, "States parties to take all appropriate legislative,
administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while
in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other
person who has the care of the child."
Together with other organisations that work for the protection and promotion of human rights in general, the Centre
for Victims of Torture, Nepal (CVICT) works to prevent violence in Nepal and seeks to counter or alleviate the abusive
practices of teachers and parents in their efforts to shape
children's behavior. (See Annex 1) Rather than developing
constructive attitudes and habits in students, the use of corporal punishment invites retaliation when children learn
about violence in school or at home. As they experience physical and verbal abuse or perceive it to be acceptable against
family members or classmates, they come to believe that they
also have the right to punish and that society allows them to
achieve their ends by using physical power. In summary,
violence must be reduced in Nepali society, and for change
to happen, it must begin by providing a non-violent environment for children in school and at home.
Accordingly, corporal punishment in any form has been
widely condemned and most countries now have laws
prohibiting it in schools. Nepal's neighboring countries
Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are taking initiatives to
eliminate physical abuse from schools. Five states of India (Hyderabad, Goa, Himanchal Pradesh, West Bengal
In contrast to this worldwide movement, Nepal's
Children's Rights and Welfare Act, 1992, Article 7 sanctions the act of scolding and minor beating of children by
fathers, mothers, members of the family, or teachers. It
does not, however, define minor beating.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
2
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Corporal Punishment and
Humiliation within Schools in Nepal
T
his section of the report gives a descriptive account
of an extensive focus group study carried out by
!
!
Teachers from primary, lower secondary and
secondary private and public schools;
Parents and guardians of children attending school.
CVICT on corporal punishment and humiliation within
the educational system in Nepal.
Objectives
The objectives of the study were to find out:
! To what extent do severe corporal punishment and
humiliation prevail within the school educational
system in Nepal?
! What do students, teachers and parents think about
the present methods of school discipline?
! How much do teachers and parents know about the
physical and psychological consequences of
punishment?
! What do teachers know about alternatives to severe
punishment?
Target Groups
The Groups targeted were:
! Students from primary, lower secondary and
secondary private and public schools.
Procedures for the Study
The two-members team for this study consisted of a moderator and a recorder from CVICT. They visited the Eastern, Central, Western and Mid-Western regions of Nepal
to conduct a series of focus group meetings. CVICT
organised the study to obtain representative opinions and
perspectives from targeted groups in the east, west, Terai
and hill areas of Nepal. The plan was to visit one district
from each of the four regions: Sunsari, Lalitpur, Kaski
and Banke. Due to concerns about security in the FarWestern Region, the Focus Group Team decided not to
hold sessions in that area.
The various sites for team meetings were selected to provide a wide range of representations across Nepal. Sunsari
is in the eastern part of the country and covers both the
hill areas and the Terai belt. Dharan is situated in the lap of
the hill areas and the majority of its people are Rai and
Limbu, who work in the army abroad and in Nepal. There-
5
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
fore the main interest of male members of families there is
to join the military. Itahari is inhabited by Brahmin and
Chettri castes and is a well-educated community; most residents are in civil service of Nepal. Inaruwa is heavily populated with Nepali of Indian origin and so they have a culture similar to India's. Their life style is different from other
Nepalis and they are involved in mixed occupations.
6
Kaski is situated in the mountainous and hill areas of Nepal
and is inhabited mostly by Gurung people or Gurkhas, an
ethnic group that is prominent in British, Indian and Nepali
armies. Most of the adult male members of the families
have gone abroad to earn money. Children live with their
mothers at home and to become a soldier is their priority.
The fathers in the families value strict rules and regulations and most of the people are Buddhists.
Lalitpur is very close to the capital of Nepal and is populated mostly by Newaris, whose main occupations are
business, agriculture and skilled work. Most of its residents are Buddhists and they have their own distinct cul-
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
ture. The last site, Nepalgunj, is a rapidly developing city
in the mid-western region and the attitudes of its people
are also currently undergoing change, as reflected by the
more progressive migrant community.
The team was able to meet with students from 30 schools
and teachers from 46 schools (see Table 1 for a more detailed breakdown) and involved a total of 285 participants representing a range of regions, cultures, ethnicities
and professions (see Table 2 and 3 for more complete descriptive information). The team gathered information and
recommendations from each of the three core constituencies of students, teachers and parents from these social
sectors regarding the existing disciplinary systems in their
schools. The focus groups brought together complementary perspectives in a triangular formation centering on
questions of discipline, as shown in Figure 1, and all three
vantages are equally relevant to understanding how
school discipline is implemented.
Parents and teachers share responsibility for a child's
discipline. Teachers cannot adequately shape students'
conduct and character without the parents' help because
a student spends significantly more time at home and
parental influence is as important as that of the teachers.
On the other hand, without the cooperation of students,
neither teachers nor parents can maintain necessary discipline: students cannot be forced against their will to
submit to disciplinary rules made by teachers or parents.
And finally in the larger context, the school management,
civil society, and the Ministry of Education play secondary roles in establishing and operating the disciplinary
system for students.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
Processes of Focus Group Discussions
In the initial stage of preparation for the present study,
both the moderator and the recorder of the team used
personal and professional contacts to make appointments with the principals of different schools. They arranged the venue, the time and the student and teacher
participants for the focus group meetings. They also requested the principals to invite neighborhood parents
to attend group discussions for their perspectives about
school discipline.
In each focus group discussion, the moderator welcomed
the participants and introduced the focus group team
members. He then asked everyone else in the meeting to
introduce themselves one by one. Thereafter, he gave a
short description of CVICT and explained the objectives
of the study, the types of questions to be raised, the requested role of participants and the role of the recorder.
Participants were assured that their identities would be
kept confidential in the final report.
In each group, there was a maximum of twelve participants. Students and teachers were invited from private and
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
public schools, rural and urban districts, and Terai and
hill areas. Students were drawn from primary, lower secondary and secondary schools. Also included were those
who failed the SLC examination and were privately preparing to take it again. Parents were selected to ensure
representative samples of various castes, religions, genders, geographical locales, and family backgrounds.
At the start of every session, the moderator displayed a
set of standard questions written individually on poster
boards and asked the group to discuss and answer each
question. The moderator shared general comments and
adopted a facilitative approach with students to help them
feel comfortable and express their ideas freely. When it
was required, a brainstorming style of interaction was
used. In between the questions, simple physical and mental group exercises were used to help make participants
more relaxed or energised.
There were three questions addressed to students and
parents and four questions addressed to teachers relating to the school disciplinary system in Nepal. The extra
question for the participating teachers was included in
Table 1. Participating Schools
S.N.
Name of Region
Students
Private
5
Public
9
Teachers
Private
3
Public
12
Total
29
16
1
Eastern Region
2
Central Region
4
3
5
4
3
Western Region
1
1
5
3
10
4
Mid-Western Region
6
1
0
24
31
Total
16
14
13
43
86
Students from Private Schools: 53.3%
Teachers from Private Schools: 23.2%
Public Schools: 46.7%
Public Schools: 76.8%
7
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
C H I L D R E N
order to learn more about their views about disciplining students. The sequence of each set of questions was designed to
move from easier to more difficult issues. The moderator guided
the participants when there appeared to be some confusion
about a particular question. He encouraged everyone to take
part in the discussion and at the end, presented a short oral
summary of the session. A maximum of three hours was used
for each meeting and after the formal discussion, refreshments
and transportation were provided to the participants.
N E P A L
1, there were slightly more students from private schools
than from public schools (16 vs. 14). Some students in
rural areas travelled 20 to 25 kilometers on bicycles to
attend the meetings. Students who had failed the SLC
examination and were preparing independently to re-take
it were also invited to participate on the premise that they
would discuss the situation of discipline in schools in
Nepal without reservation.
The intention of the team was to include as many schools
as it could in the study. However, there was more than
three times the number of teachers from public schools as
there were from private schools (43 vs. 13). The team requested 24 teachers from 24 different schools from the Banke
district to participate in the focus group discussion. The
participating teachers came to Nepalgunj to attend a seminar organised for public school teachers of Banke by the
The recorder and his assistant noted down every word of
the participants. Immediately afterwards, they reviewed
and analysed the notes with the moderator to ensure the
accuracy and completeness of the information.
8
I N
The team sought to maximise involvement by participants
from both private and public schools. As shown in Table
Table 2: Male and Female Participants
SN
Regions
Students
Male
Total
Female
Teachers
Male
Total
Female
Parents
Male
Total
Grand Total
Female
1
Eastern
11
13
24
15
9
24
6
16
22
70
2
Central
14
10
24
11
13
24
12
12
24
72
3
Western
13
11
24
18
6
24
16
8
24
72
4
Mid-Western
14
10
24
24
0
24
14
9
23
71
Total
52
44
96
68
28
96
48
45
93
285
1.
2.
3.
4.
Total student participants: 96
Male students: 52 (54.2%)
Total teacher participants: 96
Male teachers: 68 (70.9%)
Total parent participants: 93
Male parents: 48 (51.6 %)
Total participants: 285
Total male participants: 168 (58.9%)
Female students: 44 (45.9%)
Female teachers: 28 (29.2%)
Female parents: 45 (48.4%)
Total female participants: 117 (41.1%)
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Limitations of the Study
District Education Office. As a result, the percentage of
public school teachers in the study is particularly high.
!
The team invited 288 participants for the focus group
discussion and 285 were able to attend (99.7 per cent
positive response rate). Three parents could not come
due to personal reasons. There were a total of 168
male participants (58.95 per cent ) and 117 female
participants (41.05 per cent). The greater number of
male teachers in the groups was because the female
teachers were more reluctant to stay after school
hours or come on holidays for the focus group discussion.
As a qualitative study, the questions were designed to
elicit anecdotal information and significant perspec-
Box 1: Questions for Group Discussion
A.
1
2
3
For Students
What is your view of discipline in the schools of Nepal?
Please describe how discipline is maintained in schools?
What should be done to discipline students in schools?
B. For Teachers
1 Could you please describe a typical case or cases of disciplinary
actions taken against students in schools?
2 How do teachers discipline students in schools?
3 What is your opinion in disciplining students in schools?
4 How much do teachers know about the consequences of
punishment?
C. For Parents
1 How do parents discipline their children at home?
2 How much do parents know about the consequences of
punishment?
3 How should teachers discipline their children in schools?
The team tried to involve a wide range of ethnic groups to
find out their views on systems of discipline in schools of
Nepal. The results however showed a higher percentage
of student, teacher and parent participants from the Brahmin community because more teachers and students come
from that background.
9
Note: All questions were displayed in the Nepali language and the following group
reports of students, teachers and parents’ discussions are presented in transcribed form.
The moderator and the recorder have not added their personal comments or views.
Table 3. Representation of Castes and Ethnic Group
SN
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
Caste/Region
Eastern
36
5
0
1
7
1
8
10
2
0
Total
70
2
Central
15
8
0
2
3
26
15
0
1
2
72
72
3
Western
21
12
1
13
2
19
2
1
1
0
4
Mid-Western
35
16
1
0
7
4
4
0
0
4
71
Total
107
41
2
16
19
50
29
11
4
6
285
Percent
37.6
14.4
0.7
5.6
6.7
17.5
10.2
3.9
1.4
2.1
Representation of Castes and Ethnic Groups in Percentage
1. Brahmin 37.5%
5. Teraibasi 6.7%
2. Chhettari 14.4%
6. Magar 17.5%
9. Tamang 1.4%
10.Thakuri 2.1%
3. Dalit 0.7%
7. Newar 10.2%
4. Gurung 5.6%
8. Rai 3.9%
V I O L E N C E
!
!
!
!
10
A G A I N S T
tives from invited samples of teachers, students, and
parents, not to establish an empirical measure of these
beliefs and practices for the population as a whole.
Because the study was conducted in limited numbers
of schools and with limited numbers of participants
the findings may not be representative of the disciplinary system across all Nepali schools.
Only public and private schools were selected for the
study, the team did not survey traditional Sanskrit schools,
Muslim religious schools, monasteries and nunneries
where punishment is reportedly a more routine practice.
Similarly, the team was unable to visit schools run by
the police and the army to study the discipline systems of these institutions.
In some schools, students appeared to have been biased by teachers who asked them not to talk about
C H I L D R E N
!
!
!
I N
N E P A L
corporal punishment. Other schools refused permission to conduct any focus group discussions in their
schools, suggesting that they did not want an examination of their use of abusive punishment.
Students from several schools were asked to
come together at one central school for the focus
group meeting for efficiency and cost reasons. A
number of students failed to appear, however,
and it seemed that some principals were reluctant to send their students to another school for
the discussions.
It was often difficult for working parents to take part
in the focus group discussions because of the lack of
available time or convenient access to the meetings.
Most female teachers were reluctant to participate in
discussion after school hours.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
3
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Findings of the Group Disscusions
T
he reports of the group discussions are divided into
three parts: for students, teachers, and parents.
stricter teachers regularly use their power and beat us
with a stick, a belt, a fist or a pipe, and they do not care
about the results of their beatings."
Group Discussion with Students
What is your view on discipline in the schools of Nepal?
Almost all participants said discipline is essential because it makes a person understand what is socially acceptable or unacceptable and how one should behave
with his or her elders, seniors, juniors and younger children. They also believed that discipline helps to develop
the behavior, attitudes, and personality of a person.
The students unanimously agreed that discipline should
be maintained in schools because it helps to provide a
better environment for teaching and learning. It was clear
that students felt that they have to bear either verbal or
physical punishments, to mild or more severe degree, for
their betterment. However, they also felt that teaching
should take place in a non-violent environment. As a
matter of fact, they reported that discipline is regularly
taken as being synonymous with verbal humiliations and
physical beatings. They commonly stated, "some teachers just advise us what should be done and other teachers take the misbehaving students to the principal but the
Some of the students also said, "beatings at the primary
level are more frequent than the lower secondary level
and beatings in high school occur only 10%." When asked
why the frequency was lower in high school, the participants explained that either teachers fear students can retaliate or they hesitate to beat grown up students. On the
other hand, they stated, excessively humiliating words
are used instead of beatings in high schools especially in
private ones, and this verbal abuse can typically prove to
be as harmful as beatings."
Although they recognise the need for general disciplinary conditions in the schools, the majority of the student
participants were not in favor of the more severe practices
of punishment because it means hurting students both
physically and mentally. They said that of the two types
of schools in Nepal, public schools use more varied types
of disciplinary methods. Some public school teachers use
simple to harsh types of punishment while others do not
punish because they think it is not their responsibility to
11
V I O L E N C E
12
A G A I N S T
discipline students in schools. The latter teachers do not
seem to care whether or not students come to school or
pass their exams. On the other hand, according to the
participants, almost all private schools prefer students
with brushed, cut hair, a very tidy uniform and a big school
bag with books in it. They see these, along with high tuition fees, as signs of a good school. The teachers of these
schools do not hesitate to inflict severe physical and psychological punishment, which the participants think is
an unnatural way of educating children. In a fearful situation, children imitate or cram whatever their teacher ask
them to mug up, they do not use their mind to accept or
learn thing naturally. They inflict severe corporal punishment or verbal humiliations because they want to please
parents and the surrounding civil society in order to get
more students in their schools.
Participating student also discussed how teachers sometimes beat a student because of their own family problems, to relieve themselves of their anger or tension over
personal domestic difficulties. In other instances, innocent students may be punished for the misdeeds of other
mischievous but unidentified friends. Furthermore, participants reported, "teachers often brutally beat physically
weak students to intimidate the whole class." They also
argued "in some schools, sexual harassment is used to
punish and to discipline students." In this regard, they
noted that it is mostly male teachers who abuse female
students.
Participants also expressed their belief that discipline is
exercised mainly to dominate students. Under the guise
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
of maintaining discipline, teachers use humiliating words
or actions, inflict violent thrashing, or in more extreme
instances, force a young female student to strip and stand
naked in the class or lock a student in the school toilet
and leave him there until he dies. Some students are expelled from school. They added that beatings and humiliation destroy the personality of a pupil rather than developing it. It encourages students to become recalcitrant or
make them violent and destructive in later life.
It was generally claimed that teachers believe discipline
can only be maintained when students have a sense of
fear in their minds. Therefore, some teachers try to frighten
children in primary classes by telling ghost stories to
make them behave but the participants felt this was not a
constructive way of educating. In fearful situations, children tend to imitate or submit to whatever is given to
them. They do not try to understand or appreciate the
intended lesson; they simply repeat it mechanically.
Students often reported that,"beatings are very painful,
whether the student is young or grown up, and they create fear in us but they are widely used nonetheless as the
easiest and quickest method of disciplining students in
schools." The general concern of the groups was about
the widespread prevalence of severe corporal punishment
instead of the creation of a more benign teaching and
learning environment. The students added that they are
not against punishment per se "because it can teach us
what is good and what is bad, help us adopt good habits
and help us become law abiding citizens but punishment
should not be severe or humiliating."
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
Please describe how is discipline maintained in
schools?
Students replied that teachers use traditional methods of disciplining students in most schools. At
first, teachers offer advice to a student when s/he
disobeys school rules and regulations. If that is ineffective, they rebuke or threaten students and finally, they inflict physical or psychological punishment.
According to students, most of the time they experience
both forms of punishment simultaneously. For example,
when a student is physically punished, s/he also suffers
psychological pain because s/he feels insulted or demeaned at the same time. Some of the most commonly
used physical punishments reported were: making students walk or run around the school premises ten to twenty
times, making them stand on a bench under the sun or
rain for a whole period (45 minutes), slapping, twisting
the ears, pinching the tender skin on the arms or stomach,
pressing a pencil between two fingers, and pulling the
hair. Severe beatings with a thin branch of a tree, a bamboo stick, a belt, a duster, a bare palm or fists are often
done as well, sometimes leaving bruises and welts on the
students. Poking and prodding with a pencil or a stick
are likewise used. The participants discussed inhumane
and degrading incidents in Pokhara, which were published in the newspapers. In one such incident, a math
teacher took 18 grade one students to the school toilet and
compelled them to touch human excrement with tip of
their tongues when they could not memorise the given
math tables.
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Besides describing physical abuse, students referred to
the use of many types of psychological or mental punishment by teachers. Threats, intimidation and humiliation
are common and they represent the easiest form of punishment. Teachers generally enter into the lower classes with a
stick to frighten students. Sometimes teachers threaten students with traumatic beatings or with expulsion from the
school. Students said they still shudder at the names of some
teachers because of how vicious they could be in abusing
students. Often teachers use the saying "one mistake, five
times beatings" with a stick to instill fear in students.
The groups said that teachers insult students in front of
their classmates, and in primary classes some students are
sometimes made to stand completely naked in the classroom. One of the participants told a story of how her seven
year-old daughter came home from school one day very
upset. She asked her daughter what the matter was and she
told her mother how one of her classmate was made to strip
off all her clothes for not submitting her homework that day.
The daughter and her friends felt ashamed and shocked at
the action of the teacher. She told her mother "Just imagine if
it hurts us, what might have happened to the girl who was
forced to be undressed in front of her classmates; that's the
reason I am sad and depressed today."
When asked how else teachers humiliate students, the
students said teachers castigate them before the class with
insults such as, "you are wasting your parents' money;
you are nothing but a burden on them, on this school, and
even on earth; and you are just a useless duffer." Some
teachers maintain discipline by using words to embar-
13
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
rass, debase, and discourage students, calling them stupid, worthless, hopeless, idiotic, or a bloody fool or bastard and so on. Furthermore, they mentioned some teachers insult students by giving animal names like donkey,
bitch, and buffalo to ridicule them.
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
sively humiliate students more. They also observed that
teachers from educated families use less or no punishment and teachers who come from the Terai or India are
usually more severe.
One student recounted how she and her fellow students
had been made to lie down on the ground and bray like a
donkey and crow like a rooster. Other students cited a
press report that a teacher in Bhaktapur forced five grade
one students to eat grass as if they were sheep and goats.
Likewise, the students complained that when they are
sent out of the class for a whole period, it is doubly harmful because they feel stigmatized and they miss whatever
is taught in the class at that time.
Most private schools in urban areas give their students
written rules and regulations while public schools just
give oral instructions about simple expectations of conduct. The private schools usually warn their students more
formally that if they do not follow the rules of the school,
they will be liable to bear severe consequences. The
schools, which claim that they do not use serious physical punishment to control students instead through psychological abuse, which in the students' opinions can be
more painful and disturbing than beatings.
When encouraged to speak about what determines the
sort of punishment inflicted if a student disobeys, misbehaves or does not do the homework, the response
from students was that it often depends on the mood of
a teacher. When the teacher is angry, students can be
locked up in a toilet or in a cupboard or beaten severely
and humiliated badly. At other times if a student does
not do his/her homework, s/he can be made stand in
the corridor where s/he feels disgraced because all the
other students and teachers stare at him/her as they
pass by.
What should be done to discipline students in schools?
The students preferred that teaching should be done in a
supportive context and it should make more use of persuasion and understanding in dealing with students. Before
enforcing punishments, teachers should foster an environment wherein students' problems can be listened to. The
participants complained that they are usually punished
for not wearing a neat uniform or not bringing their text
books, exercise books, instrument boxes, etc., to class, even
though it is not their fault because they cannot purchase
these items and have to depend on their parents.
According to the students, how teachers punish students
also depends on their particular character, gender, family, location and ethnicity, among other factors. They believe that some teachers tend to be more aggressive by
nature and female teachers tend to beat less but exces-
The students recommended: "teachers should have patience and help students realize their mistakes or weaknesses and give them the opportunity to find ways to
improve their behavior themselves." They said practical
policies and procedures should be developed for both
14
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
students and teachers and student representatives should
be involved in the formulation of regulations for student
conduct and sanctions.
The student groups also urged that instead of forceful discipline as the first recourse, teachers should consider other steps
to change the behavior of students. Otherwise, they believe
that students can become either subservient or violent when
repeatedly subjected to severe thrashings or humiliation.
Most of the students agreed that a teacher should be steady
and even-handed, non-violent, sociable, helpful, dedicated, and with a good command of his or her subject
matter. They felt that instead of abusing students, teachers should involve the brighter students to help weaker
ones in their studies and they should make better use of
parents to control misbehaving students. On the other
hand, some students believed that parents should not be
involved in disciplining students in schools because they
are already the agent for punishment at home. They argued if abusing and beating children at home can make
students better behaved, why has the process proved so
ineffectual?
The students want principals and teachers to punish
only after verifying who was wrong, so that innocent
students are not victimised. It was suggested that students should be helped to realise their mistakes and
the adverse impact of their wrongdoings. The students
further complained that "the principal and teachers
are quick to administer severe punishment, but they
never think of giving rewards to better disciplined individuals."
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
The student groups were particularly critical of suspending
or expelling a student temporarily or permanently and prohibiting the student from joining another school in the area or
even in any other parts of Nepal. This extent of punishment
can infringe on students' rights and so it was proposed that
the Ministry of Education should do something to control it.
The participants demanded that the educational administration should create better teaching and learning environments in school. Equal treatment should be given and
a more friendly and encouraging setting should be fostered and more care and attention should be provided to
weaker students. They also cautioned against giving too
much homework: "we must have some free time to play or
chat with neighborhood children and spend some time
with our relatives at home." They advocated that parents
should visit the school from time to time to discuss the
progress of their children and that the school should not
ask parents to beat their children at home.
The students thought it could be useful for teachers to recall their own school days and how they felt when they
were beaten or humiliated. They mentioned that while discipline can be a means for the development of an all-round
personality, severe punishment destroys such possibilities. They said if a teacher teaches well and makes students
understand their lessons, the need for punishment would
automatically be reduced. The students want a teacher to
inspire and to be knowledgeable about teaching the subject. Trained, sober, hard working, and knowledgeable
teachers should be appointed. Emphasis should be given
on better relationships between students and teachers and
between teachers and parents.
15
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
The participants also demanded that the school must arrange extra activities for students like a library, indoor
and outdoor games, competitions, contests to make students busy so that their minds are not distracted by unacceptable activities. The group was in favor of more preventive rather than reaction oriented punishments.
16
Finally, the students felt that parents or guardians should
not request teachers to punish a child in school because s/
he creates a nuisance at home. Instead, they wished that the
family, the "first school" for a child, should equally provide a
caring and non-violent environment for children. They urged
that violence should be eradicated from the society otherwise there is no point in just controlling violence in schools.
If parents beat their children at home and ask teachers not to
beat their children in school, it is senseless. They wanted the
government and civil society to control corporal punishment and verbal humiliation in schools. These bodies should
launch training workshops for teachers on non-violent
teaching methods and use media to raise awareness of the
need of humane treatment and more civilized environment
in schools. The students also called for parents' associations to be formed to fight against severe punishment in
schools, "so that children are no longer treated like animals."
Focus Group Discussion with T
eachers
Teachers
Could you please describe a typical case or cases of disciplinary actions taken against students in schools?
One of the teachers related the story of a student who was
beaten very badly because he misbehaved with a teacher.
The result of that beating made him leave school and his
anger changed into revenge and he became involved in anti-
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
Box 2: When and Why Students are punished
Students are punished when they
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
do not come to school in neat school uniforms.
do not come to school on time.
do not do their homework.
do not pay school fees promptly.
do not respect teachers.
do not memorise an assigned lesson by heart.
misbehave.
disturb class.
destroy school’s property.
write unacceptable things on the school premises.
skip classes.
stay out of school without giving a legitimate reason.
are blamed or accused by other students.
cannot bring textbooks, pen, pencils, notebooks and
other learning materials with them.
fail to improve handwriting.
tease classmates.
fight or quarrel in class.
are found cheating in exams.
fail in an examination.
have a teacher fail to identify the mischievous student.
make a noise or talk in class.
steal something.
disobey or behave rudely
don’t pay attention to teachers
fall asleep in class
teachers are in stressful or tense mood
social activities when he grew older. In another example, a
fourteen-year old student studying in grade four in Nuwakot
in the western region was beaten by his teacher with a thin
branch of a bush several times because he was found guilty
of stealing a pen from his classmate. When he returned home
afterwards, he felt so hurt and shamed that he committed
suicide by ingesting pesticide. (The Astha, 1998).
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Another teacher told of a boarding student in Mahottari
who went home on a festival holiday and did not want to
return to school afterwards but his parents pressured him
to go back the next day. He committed suicide that night by
taking insecticide due to his fear of his teachers. A third
teacher narrated an old and notorious story about a reputable boarding high school in the Bagmati Zone, situated
in an isolated place with a huge compound. The case involved a teacher locking a mischievous student in the
school toilet in order to punish him on the day before the
one-month Dashain vacation and then forget to release the
student. Everyone was in a festive mood and they left the
school in a hurry. The toilet was at a remote end of the
school building where the watchman did not go. The
student's parents first thought he might have gone to his
maternal uncle's house as he had planned. After some days
the student was discovered to be missing and the parents
tried their best to contact every relative. After the Dashain
holidays when the school re-opened, the student was found
dead in the toilet due to dehydration and starvation.
ters after her husband deserted her. She went to the principal of a boarding school for permission to let her daughters attend school from home. The school, however, did
not grant her request, saying that she must first clear the
unpaid fees from the previous months. The school also
told her she could not meet with her elder daughter until
the payment was completed. The daughter was retained
by the school as a form of collateral against the dues. She
could not see her mother for one year and was made to
work in the school's kitchen during that time.
One teacher from Sunsari district reported an incident
similar to the one cited in the student group. A seven-year
old girl student in Birgunj asked her teacher repeatedly to
give her permission to go to the toilet but the teacher ignored all her requests. The helpless girl then shat herself
and spoiled her dress. The teacher asked the peon to wash
her clothes and forced the girl to stand naked in the classroom as a punishment while he taught the class.
Similar abuses discussed in the groups included a
student's ear being ruptured after it was forcefully pulled
by a teacher, students being put in a sack with the opening tied shut and beatings being carried out to the point of
causing open wounds. In one high school, students were
regularly locked in school toilets as a form of psychological punishment. Other instances involved a teacher pulling out the hair along with scalp from a student's temple
and at a boarding school in the Kathmandu Valley, three
students in grade five were beaten with a belt. A hostel in
charge of a boarding school in the Kathmandu Valley
Another story told was of an unemployed mother who
had little money to support herself and her two daugh-
A still more common occurrence was shown in the experience of a 15-year old ninth grade student who returned
home with a sad and dejected expression. She talked to
no one and ate nothing. Although she had usually been
very diligent about her homework, on that day she did
not seem interested. Her behavior worried her family members. When her brother asked if anything was wrong, she
told him with tears in her eyes that a teacher had scolded
her and later beat her in the school.
17
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
kicked and beat three students in grade 5 with a belt and
a stick because they could not secure good marks in the
first term exams. Another teacher at a boarding school in
Kathmandu repeatedly kicked a fourteen-year old student in grade eight so brutally that he lost consciousness
after he was found cheating in his term exam.
18
A participant narrated another story, "When I was a student one of my teachers pushed a stick into the anus of
my classmate just because he could not do his homework."
The next story was about a student who had written something bad on the blackboard just before the teacher entered into the classroom. When he inquired, nobody spoke
and he was annoyed, he severely beat everybody in the
class. After the teacher left the class, the student who wrote
on the blackboard was very happy because everyone got
equal punishment that day. A teacher in a primary school
in the Banke district beat a student so mercilessly that the
student required seven stitches to close his wound. A principal of a boarding school, Sayangja, was very furious
that out of 47 students only 22 students passed the SLC
examination. In his fury he beat grade seven students so
ruthlessly that there were many bruises on his back and
he became physically disabled for one year.
The groups also discussed the case of a sixteen-year old
girl student who was beaten with a stick so brutally by a
teacher in Chautara because she could not submit her homework. As a result, she had to be taken to hospital for treatment after losing consciousness. A principal in the western region was reported to have lashed a thirteen-year old
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
student, leaving several bruises on his back, without first
making any inquiry about the legitimacy of the complaint
made against him. A more blatant instance of unfair punishment occurred when a student who was making a noise
at the back of the class was asked by his teacher to sit in the
first row, go to the blackboard and read. The student could
not read a single word because he could see only the hazy
outlines of the letters. When he said he could not read, the
teacher, who was very angry at that time, started slapping
and beating with his fist indiscriminately. As it turned out,
the student was far-sighted, but the teacher, without asking him why he could not read, punished him severely in
order to give vent his own outrage.
The teacher groups reported that at one school, a teacher
was threatened by parents with "an ear for an ear" when
he ruptured the ear of their son while punishing him. Another teacher insulted a student by calling him a son of a
drunkard in class and the father reacted furiously. He threatened the teacher to file a case against the teacher in court.
The groups described female students often developing psychological problems, such as nightmares, anxieties, or other symptoms when threatened or beaten.
One participant told a story of how a principal in a
school in the western region hit a ten- year old student
and hung her from the ceiling fan, which he then turned
on. As a result, she is said to be suffering from problems such as hallucinations, depression, and nightmares for the last three years and she had to discontinue her studies.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
The teachers told additional stories of school punishment
they had read about in different newspapers: A ten-year
old student in grade two in Birgunj was beaten by the
principal so severely that he was taken to hospital in unconscious condition because he had been unable to come
to school for the previous seven days. In Pokhara, a fouryear old nursery student in a private school nearly lost
one of her eyes when her teacher allegedly beat her up
with a stick because she had failed to improve her handwriting. A case was published in the Aajko
Samacharpatra, a daily paper, that a teacher in Kapilbastu
beat a grade six student so brutally with a stick that it
produced large contusions on his thighs because the student had been slightly delayed returning from the toilet.
Another story in the media involved a teacher beating
one of the students from the Sarki caste (a cobbler by trade)
with a stick for praying in temple. The article also reported that students of low caste families are always
beaten with a stick to avoid touching them (The Kantipur).
The principal in charge of a school in Kathmandu hit a
six-year old kindergarten student with a stick ten times
on each palm and banged his head on the wall many
times. As a result the student had multiple bruises on his
body and developed a high fever.
The participating teachers also spoke about some hurtful
experiences of their own. One described a time when he
was a student in grade eight, he skipped his last three
periods one day with his two friends and went fishing.
The next day when they went to school, the vice principal
beat them with a bunch of wet stinging nettles. It was
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
physically and mentally very painful. He wished to take
revenge and was mentally disturbed for a week.
All the teachers agreed that most teachers give more severe punishments to students at primary level than they
do at the lower secondary level.Very few teachers physically punish secondary level students, perhaps because
of the age of the students or greater fear of revenge. In
most of the stories, teachers said that after some beatings,
students fainted, became sick or withdrawn and some
even stopped speaking. At times, students or their parents compelled an abusive teacher to provide compensation for the injuries done, and in more extreme instances
they forced the school management to terminate the teacher
from his/her job.
19
Some teachers in the groups were in favor of severe punishment to build the future character of their students
despite the examples of mental demoralisation, distraught
feelings and the reactions of disrespect and revenge that
can follow from such methods. Other teachers expressed
their regrets over beating students in order to discipline
them but they admitted feeling helpless in not knowing
any alternative ways to promote discipline in their classes.
How do teachers discipline students in schools?
Teachers commonly held the view that to discipline students means to control them in such a way that they follow the rules and regulations of the school. This code of
conduct usually included such norms such as coming to
school on time, wearing school uniforms, doing homework regularly, paying fees on time, maintaining the de-
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
corum of the school, securing good marks in their exams,
behaving cooperatively with other students and respecting seniors and teachers. If the student disobeys, it is
understood that the teacher will respond with mild to
severe punishment. The teachers asserted that either verbal or physical punishment is the best tool to discipline
students. One of the teachers claimed that because of the
severe punishments exercised in his school, 100 percent
of the students pass their SLC examination every year.
20
To discipline students, threats, scolding, abuse and beating were found to be the regular means of punishment. All
the participants in the teacher groups believed that punishment is usually given for students' benefits and for correcting their bad habits. However, they also acknowledged
that modern times are moving away from these traditional
ways of maintaining discipline. Hence, they were eager to
learn about alternatives to such methods.
Almost all the teacher-participants were concerned about
the trends of disciplining students in Nepal. As described in the student groups, one of the teachers also
reported a regular sequence to be followed in correcting
behavior: first, trying to influence with advice, second,
scolding and threatening, and finally beating the students. When the moderator asked about teaching students with more positive approaches, the teachers responded that they would prefer not to scold, use abusive words or beat students, but they cannot easily control their anger and so they feel they have no choice but
to punish when students fail to pay attention, disobey,
or behave in other unacceptable ways.
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
Some of the participants also said that when their efforts
to discipline a student were unsuccessful; they take the
student to the principal or call the parents to tell them
about their child's misbehavior. One headmaster said, "a
class monitor (captain) is selected in every class these
days to maintain the rules and regulations of the class
and they are authorised to punish classmates in order to
keep order but in fact they usually favor their friends and
beat and humiliate weaker and innocent students." The
teachers claimed that strict rigor is required to ensure
appropriate student conduct. When asked why violent
steps are necessary to discipline students, most of the
teachers said they know of no other way.
According to the teachers, the forms and degrees of punishment differ from private schools to public schools and from
primary to lower secondary and secondary levels. In private
schools, teachers inflict more severe physical and verbal abuse
because such schools have greater social prestige and stricter
reputations in the community. Most primary teachers try to
dominate smaller children by hitting them brutally with a
stick or by creating fear in the class since they know these
children are powerless and cannot retaliate. Nevertheless,
participants believed that if teachers knew alternative methods, they would be likely to use them instead.
The teachers reported a variety of corporal and psychological ways commonly used to discipline students. Some
teachers prefer physical punishment ranging from mild
to severe, while other teachers like to humiliate students
verbally, insult them in front of their friends or make them
do demeaning activities in the classroom. The groups
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
agreed that punishment should be meted out according
to the age of a student. They also noted that some students cannot bear physical pain but other students suffer
more from psychological abuse because the effects are
more long lasting and emotionally upsetting.
Some teachers shared their experience that when students
are treated politely and affectionately, they ignore teachers'
requests and give little attention to their studies, and at
times disobey the school's regulations. Therefore, the teachers concluded that it is important to give these students
threats, stern rebukes, harsh beatings or insults. In some
schools, they felt, a strict teacher can control the general
conduct in the school by not hesitating to show his power
to terrorise students. In other cases, the principal tends to
enforce more drastic discipline either by abusing students
verbally or by beating them in front of all the other students
during the morning assembly as an example for everyone.
Furthermore, group participants concurred that to be called
in to the principal's office was in itself, often considered a
more serious punishment for students.
What is your opinion about the disciplining students
in schools?
Some of the teachers argued for the necessity of severe
punishment, insisting that without it, students inevitably become careless and disobedient. There was a general feeling that students must have some fear of punishment if they do not obey their teachers, otherwise they are
likely to misbehave, adopt bad habits, or act foolishly.
Since it is believed that teachers punish students to rec-
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
tify their conduct, there is no consideration of harm because it is for a good cause.
Some teachers expressed support for the use of reward as
well as punishment, and thought that both should be applied in schools. But others felt punishment alone was
needed, and without it children will be uncontrolled. Overall, a majority of the teachers were more in favor of disciplining students either by humiliations or by physical beatings.
Some of the teachers argued, "we are forced to give severe
punishment to students because it is the demand of the
managing committee of the school, the parents, other members of civil society, and even the Ministry of Education."
A high ranking official of the Ministry of Education declared his belief that traditional methods of beating students are still good in a country like Nepal:
"I have become deputy secretary of this ministry because
my teachers used to beat me when I was a student. Due to
those beatings I studied hard to get better educational
qualifications. I always extend my sincere thanks to my
teachers for their help."
Other participants agreed:
"We beat students to make them do their homework, come
to school in proper school dress, obey school rules, to
keep them from disturbing the classroom environment,
teasing other classmates, or quarreling and fighting at
school. Sometimes we abuse students when they secure
low marks in their exams, because we wish our students
21
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
well and try to teach them what is acceptable or what is
not acceptable in the society."
A number of participants also reported that disciplinary
conditions are worsening in schools. Some participants
said the discipline was more effective when they were
students because then no one would dare to say a single
word against a teacher, and students even used to change
direction when they saw a teacher coming toward them.
When asked why students were more disciplined in those
days, the groups responded that it was either because of
greater respect for their teacher (or guru) then or perhaps
because of more fear of ruthless beatings. By contrast, they
said, "these days students neither respect their teachers
nor worry about being beaten."
22
The common belief in the groups was that it is appropriate to give punishment if it is intended for positive results. The teachers described using escalating methods of
discipline when milder measures prove insufficient. They
regularly call the parents of a problematic student and
ask them to control their child, and as a final resort, they
take the student to the principal for administrative action. It was clear that the concept of controlling students
was paramount in schools, whether it is done through
physical, psychological, social, or administrative means.
When asked about their opinion of teaching without violence, most of the teachers said it is not possible. They
added, "we do not believe in modern techniques because
they are not suitable in Nepal since parents and the general community want the use of severe punishment to
discipline their children."
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
The teachers said "No fear, no learning. No punishment,
no correction". They noted that the majority of students in
public schools come from economically weaker communities where most of the people are illiterate and do not
understand more modern views about discipline. At home
these communities tend to scold and beat their children,
and they expect the same treatment in schools. Therefore,
it is difficult to discipline the children other than by creating fear and using physical punishment.
The teachers explained that sometimes parents request
them to punish their children in school because they misbehave at home. Most of the parents in cities want to pay
to have their children taken care of in school hostels, thinking that the hostel teacher will instill the discipline in
their children, which they failed to do at home. Some teachers emphasised the importance of schools having very
high standards of management for student conduct and
they believed it was not possible in practice to discipline
without severe punishment, because it is difficult for them
to change from the traditional methods they experienced
when they were students.
Therefore, a teacher who keeps his class silent, maintains
strict discipline and has all his students pass his subject
is considered the best teacher. For example, a participant
in one of the groups, who teaches in a boarding school,
said he is a very strict teacher who gives severe corporal
punishment to his students when he finds them unruly
or when they do not memorize their assigned lessons by
heart. Due to their fear, his students work hard and even
study during lunchtime, and consequently they get good
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
grades. He reported that the managing committee of the
school, the parents, and even the students always appreciate his work. Accordingly, he concluded that without
such punishment, discipline cannot be maintained and
students cannot be made to study seriously at home and
in school. He added that his students come from different
family backgrounds and most receive harsh beatings from
their parents, so that they would not understand more
psychologically benign treatment.
Similarly, most of the other teachers in the groups held the
opinion that some measure of punishment should be justifiable. Some teachers also believed that psychological humiliation is worse than physical punishment because its
effects are more long lasting and disconcerting. However,
there was no clear response when the groups were asked
about alternatives to severe punishment. Most of the teachers said they never thought about the question. However,
many participants expressed interest in learning about more
progressive and constructive options to promote discipline
and appropriate conduct in their classrooms.
How much do teachers know about the consequences
of punishment?
The teachers responded that they never think about the
adverse effects when they punish a student; rather they
only consider that they do so to build better habits in their
students. They have a strong belief that punishing students makes them realize their weaknesses and shows
them better ways to correct themselves. The teachers do
not think they should be worried about consequences of
severe punishment; the need to control the disobedience
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Box 3: Why Teachers Punish
A teacher punishes to:
1 discipline students.
2 keep the classroom quiet and orderly.
3 make fun of disobedient students (for example, by giving
them animal names).
4 discriminate between students: weak and intelligent, high
class and low class, poor and rich;
5 get the favor of the Management Board of the school and
parents as well.
6 make student confess misdeeds.
7 make students follow the rules and regulations of schools.
8 dominate students.
9 maintain discipline.
10 obtain one hundred per cent results in examinations.
11 create an intimidating situation in lower classes to keep
students under control.
12 follow parents’ request to punish their children.
13 correct the bad habits of students.
14 quickly, easily and effectively discipline students.
15 teach students the difference between what is good and
what is bad.
16 use the abuse of a weak student to threaten other students.
17 make student do their homework or class work
of students requires it and they do not think about how
they may be hurting students.
When asked about the possibility of adverse effects, some
participants confessed they know little about physical
harm and a few said they know about psychological
consequences, such as heightened insecurity or an inferiority complex, school phobia, mental demoralization, depression, anxiety, humiliation, and desire for revenge.
They also stressed that the expectations of the society
sometimes compels them not to limit themselves to more
23
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
benevolent practices, and as an example, parents request
them to punish their children because they behave impudently at home.
24
In the opinion of most of the participants, the stricter the
teacher, the more appreciation s/he receives from the
school management, parents, and colleagues because the
students give more attention to their subjects and pass examinations with good marks. They concluded that fear of
a teacher makes for better students. However, the groups
also realized different consequences of some severe punishment can be very injurious, as they have read about in
newspapers. A cautionary incident was cited in which a
twelve-year old student from Bhaktapur hanged himself
on February 12, 1998 because he was verbally humiliated
in his class for not having an instrument box.
They stated that sometimes as a reaction to punishment,
parents challenge teachers and seek to have them terminated from the school, and at other times a student will
avenge himself against the teacher when on the street.
Moreover, some parents have asked the teacher to pay
medical expenses as compensation, among other aftereffects of severe punishment. The teachers on the other
hand blamed the surrounding environment for increased
disciplinary problems. They believed that social conditions are getting worse and are causing the younger generation to develop more psychosocial problems.
Although the groups said they had for the most part never
before discussed the consequences of beatings and humiliation in school or at home, they reported having a
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
better understanding of how anger, community demands
and the lack of alternate approaches have led them to rely
on corporal punishment. As they realised more fully the
consequences of punishment, they concluded that the
subject needs wider discussion so that everyone is made
aware of them and in the future this knowledge can stop
teachers from abusing their students.
Focus Groups Discussion with Parents
How do parents discipline their children at home?
In the last round of focus group meetings, parents of students first discussed the question, "how parents discipline their children at home." The participants said that
discipline begins at home with love and is followed with
a measure of physical punishment. They felt that reprimanding children is easier and more effective in the home
than in other settings such as school. With smaller children, some parents use the fear of witches, ghosts, wild
animals and dacoits to instill discipline. The parents described how they sometimes scare their children by beating them severely, but when they were asked about the
role of affection, they said they try to provide their children with a balance of the experiences they need.
Many parents said they use mild spanking at first and
then threaten their children with more severe beating, and
if that does not work, the threats are carried out. They
said, "We prefer beatings and sometimes use insults if our
children do anything wrong or unacceptable because
these are the quickest ways to correct them, and then the
fear of being hurt keeps the children under control." They
described having been brought up in the same way and
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Box 4: Consequences of Punishment
P S Y C H O LO G I C A L C O N S E Q U E N C E S
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Poor concentration.
Loss of creativity.
Lethargy.
Lack of expression.
Low self-esteem.
Phobia.
A sense of humiliation, which is very painful and long lasting.
Damage to the personality of a student.
A wish to die rather than beaten in school.
Suicide by taking pesticide, insecticide or by hanging.
Fear of loud voices.
Nightmares.
Mental illness.
Fear of unbearable beatings.
Becoming mute.
Feelings of revenge.
Demoralisation.
Feelings of helplessness.
A loss of interest in studies.
A loss of self-esteem and confidence.
Inferiority complex.
Hallucinations.
Feeling insulted when beaten in the assembly.
Feelings of insecurity.
Sleep disturbance.
Hysteria.
Anxiety.
Hesitation.
Depression.
Irritation.
SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Creation of an uncivilised environment through treating
children as if they are animals.
Death in school toilets.
Gang formation.
Involvement in anti-social activities.
Feelings of disrespect for teachers.
Destruction of public property.
Taking revenge of punishment in school.
Involvement in destructive activities.
Becoming drug addicts.
Disobeying elders, parents and teachers.
An increase in the school dropout rate.
Finding it difficult to adjust.
Feeling neglected.
Feeling suicidal.
Social activity hampered.
CONSEQUENCES FOR TEACHERS
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Teachers lose their jobs.
Students take revenge.
Receive threats from students and parents.
File case in court against teachers by parents.
Their property is destroyed.
Transferred to another school.
Worsening of relationships with parents and students.
Required to pay medical compensation for treatment.
25
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
said that they still love their parents and family despite
having been brutally beaten many times as children. They
added that giving only love and affection means spoiling
children, causing bad habits, and making them obstinate,
irresponsible, and demanding. The parents insisted that
children need strict discipline and rigorous rules and regulations, especially those children who disobey elders and
become involved in destructive activities.
26
There was general agreement that parents should give regular attention to their children's studies and provide assistance when they are in need or are having difficulties. Even
parents who said that they favor both mild and severe
punishment and frighten their children or slap them when
they misbehave also stated that they give their children
love and sympathy, and comfort them with small presents.
They also expressed their frustration when their affection
and milder punishments do not stop their children from
adopting bad habits. At such times, they conclude they
have no choice but to administer severe punishment.
The parents observed that in rural areas corporal and
psychological punishment is more harsh and frequent
while in urban areas, parents tend to be less strict in disciplining their children. In general, disciplinary methods
can vary from mild to severe, or not be used at all, depending on the status of the family, the standards of the community, the gender of the child, and the specific nature of
the misconduct. Physical abuse tends to be more common
among lower and middle class families, whereas
wealthier and more educated families use more alternatives to physical punishment. Girls are usually given
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
milder punishment than boys, and one parent said that
daughters tend to be more in fear of their mothers, while
sons have greater fear of their fathers.
In the Terai, according to the parents, people beat their
children more regularly and severely than do the people
of the hill regions, and in broken families children are
more often rebuked or beaten, even for minor mistakes
and they receive less affection. Nevertheless, the parents
felt that in most families in Nepal, discipline is exercised
in such a way that only severe beatings seem to be effective. For example, a father told how he had punished his
son by rolling a heavy round stick on his thighs with
such force that it made him cry uncontrollably and promised not to misbehave in future. As a result, he said, the
son never again engaged in mischievous activities, and
the father insisted that physical punishment is essential
to permanently correct a child's misconduct.
The parents said that their first disciplinary step is to try
to talk to their children about their bad habits and to ask
them not to involve themselves in such activities. They
try to make them understand that society does not accept
these activities. Then if the children ignore their advice, a
beating becomes necessary because they do not know other
ways of disciplining them.
One parent said that his parents used to create an atmosphere of fear in the home by severely beating the children so that they would not dare do anything wrong.
Another parent said that one day his neighbor threatened to kill his children by brandishing a Khukari (a large
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
Gurkha knife), if they persisted in their wrongful behavior. He added that it was generally accepted for parents
or other older members of a family to be authorised to
enforce punishment in the home.
The parents said, "we have learned how to discipline children from our own parents, and because we think it is effective we have never tried any other ways of doing so." They
accept abuse and beating as customary practices in the home,
although some parents also said that they sometimes try
instead to counsel misbehaving children or provide rewards
for good behavior. They admitted that a sense of helplessness or anger could prompt them to beat their children as a
last alternative in their efforts to create an environment in
which their children would not go against their wishes again.
The participants argued that in some families children
get too much freedom and that this spoils them. Examples
were given such as children being allowed to watch violent and obscene movies or watching endless cartoons,
chatting about sex on the internet and playing video
games. All these things were seen as being hindrances to
study and it was felt that violent movies made children
obstinate, undisciplined and violent. It was felt that by
nature children imitate things very easily and can get
quickly involved in negative activities.
How much do parents know about the consequences
of punishment?
Most participants admitted that they knew little about
the consequences of punishment except as its effect as a
form of discipline. Thus, whenever their children disobey
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
them, they punish them without thinking about what other
effects it could have. The parents may repent afterwards
if they see the damaging results such as bruises, the imprint of a bare palm, or welts left by a stick on tender skin.
They said that if they had known the consequences of
their punishment they wouldn't have acted in such a way.
Some parents reported that when children become involved in bad habits and lose interest in their studies, or
show disrespect and irritate their parents with their disobedience, they require severe punishment to improve.
The parents will then use beatings to correct them and
make them into good citizens. However, the result can be
that the children develop long lasting psychological problems such as a loss of motivation or self confidence, and
more negative attitudes, as well as physical injuries such
as cuts, abrasions, broken bones and deformations, or
even worse.
Nevertheless, many of the parents in the groups indicated
that they did not know or want to think about the after
effects of their punishment because it provided an immediate solution to the problems they encounter in raising their children. They added that they might also turn
to punishment when they are in tense or stressful situations and under pressure in different ways. At such
times, they do not think of the consequences of the punishment, and instead they just beat their children, even
for minor things.
The following comment was representative of the views
expressed in the groups:
27
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
"We have never been trained about the results of punishment, and never attended any programmes related to its
use. The media has made us aware of its after effects by
publishing stories of beatings, but we have never taken
them seriously. After reading the news, we usually forget
about the damage that punishment can do."
28
The parents made it clear that they do not want to intentionally harm their children and many said that they did
not know about the possible psychological consequences
of punishment. They know the physical results better because these can easily be seen, but they rarely think that
there might be more serious or long lasting negative mental or emotional after effects. If something bad should happen after punishment they think it is because of the bad
luck of that child or that family, but they acknowledged
that parents do regret their actions when a child is seriously harmed, for example by losing a limb or becoming
mentally ill.
One participant reported that one of his neighbors used
to give alcohol to his three-year old son because he couldn't
take him to work. The intoxicated son would then sleep
in his room until the father came back, but when the boy
grew up, he became an alcoholic. Another parent told
about his two sons, who are now 22 and 17 years old. He
used to physically punish the elder son even for slight
misbehavior but after the birth of the younger child he
stopped. As a result the younger son is on good terms
with him but the older one does not want to have a close
relationship with him. When his wife asked the first son
last year why he is not friendly with his father, he replied
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
"I cannot forget those days when I was just five years old
and father used to beat me severely for minor mistakes."
The son still has that fear in him.
Such consequences are painful for parents as well as for
their children. Generally, in urban areas, parents seem
more likely to discipline their children with a more balanced approach and with a view to helping them overcome their problems. This is not always the case in villages, where parents are less educated, thus making it
crucial that parents become more aware of the potential
harm than can come from a reliance on severe punishment to correct behavior.
Some parents were against punishment because it makes
students demoralised, humiliated and finally distances
them from their friends and family members. They are in
favor of punishment that corrects students' unacceptable
behavior and helps them build their future careers. While
correcting students' unacceptable behavior they must
make students realise their mistakes and they must have
the opportunity to correct themselves.
How should teachers discipline their children in
schools?
In responding to the third question in the focus groups,
"how teachers should discipline their children in schools"
most of the parent participants said that they wished
teachers would not beat their children severely. They complained that teachers often humiliate students without
trying to understand their difficulties, and they do not
hesitate to physically abuse them. The result is that stu-
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
dents become scared and they try to skip classes or drop
out of school.
The parents also criticised the dual policy of education in
Nepal. Private schools are very competitive in trying to
provide what they believe is quality education. They seek
to do this by charging high fees, having difficult courses
and using only foreign textbooks and aim to have the
students achieve at least 60% grades and 100% success
rates in the SLC examinations. In order to achieve this
they give too much homework and set too many tests.
When the students are unable to complete their homework, going to school becomes a stressful experience and
often involves beatings and intimidation.
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
children there. They wanted these schools to have model
teachers who could inspire their students. Participants
discussed organising pressure groups to prevent teachers and the school authorities from humiliating or physically abusing their children.
A participant complained that most teachers favor the more
successful and intelligent students, while weaker and
slower students are ignored or punished for minor mistakes. As a result the weaker children feel neglected and
humiliated, fail to make any progress and eventually lose
interest in their studies. This participant would like the
teachers of such students to visit the student's home instead and to discuss the children's progress and problems.
The participants compared this with the situation in some
public schools where the authorities do not care whether
students come to school or not or whether they do their
homework. The public school teachers do not punish their
students as often, even if a serious disturbance is created
in school, nor do they care even if 90% of the students fail
in the final examinations. The parents' groups called for
this situation to be changed as soon as possible. Many
parents said that public schools should use punishment
more effectively to maintain discipline and to motivate
students to study and pass their examinations.
Another point raised in the groups was that parents from
rural areas have less concern about the use of punishment in school. It was said that the parents believe that
they have given their children to the teacher to obtain the
best education, to pass their examinations and become
well-disciplined members of the community. Thus the
teachers are given full authority to deal with their children in a way they feel is appropriate. The participants
believed that in the urban areas, on the other hand, more
parents prefer the teacher to discipline their children in a
more humane way.
Another form of discrimination parents identified was
the tendency in private schools for children from poorer
families to be punished more. It was felt that the government should improve the educational standards of public schools so that middle class parents would send their
The variety of personal anecdotes reflected the range of
opinion about the value or harm that can ensue from corporal punishment and verbal abuse at school. One of the
parents asked, "how can I expect teachers not to beat my
children when I beat them myself at home." Some of the
29
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
parents argued that discipline did require beatings to give
children fear. They said that fear always prevents children from doing things that are not acceptable and it makes
them study hard and do their homework. One participant said when her children come back from school they
always do their homework and do not go outside to play
with their friends. When she asks them to go out and play
with other children, they say they must finish their homework first because if they do not give in their homework
on time, their teachers will beat them severely. She believed that they are good at their studies because they
work hard even at home.
30
Another mother reported how her innocent son was beaten
by a teacher when he was studying in grade eight in
Lalitpur. The reason was that he had not been able to go to
school for eleven days because of a high fever. The day he
rejoined his class was the date for submitting homework
and he could not do so. The science teacher, without speaking to the boy, slapped him and beat him with a flat bamboo stick. The mother was angry because the teacher left
marks on the boy's cheeks and bruises on his buttocks. She
told the focus group that beating children like animals in
school must be stopped and she said that such teachers
should be punished in turn. She believed that this is not an
appropriate way to discipline students.
A parent described her experience in school:
"When I was studying in grade six, one of my teachers
beat me with a flat bamboo stick which had sharp nail in
it. The teacher hit me on the calves with the stick and
when they started bleeding he did not stop the beating.
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
When I went home my mother saw blood on my socks
and checked my calves. My father was furious and went
to the school with some neighbors. The management committee of the school sacked the teacher."
The parent went on to say that she hates such behavior on the
part of teachers and questioned why children are punished
so brutally. She argued that schools are meant to develop the
personality of students but instead they often destroy the respect of children towards their teachers and elders.
This belief was supported by another parent who told about
seeing her six-year old daughter playing on a high compound wall. When she tried to stop her daughter doing
this because of the danger involved, the daughter said that
a fall would at least free her from the school beatings. The
parent believed that this reply showed how beatings affect
the hearts and minds of small children in school.
Most parents wished that teachers were more educated
so that they could help their children develop into peace
loving citizens. They also wanted a violence free environment in the schools for their children. They suggested
that if teachers had to use physical punishment, they
should not do so in the class or in a public place but
should use an office or another private setting. They were
against giving punishment that makes students
demoralised, humiliated, and finally alienated or withdrawn from their friends and family members. Parents
thought that alternatives to corporal punishment should
be used to correct students' unacceptable behavior, and that
the students must be helped to realise their mistakes and be
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Box 5: Types of Punishment
PHYSICAL
P S YC H O LO G I C A L
1
1.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Different degrees of beating, mild to severe: with a
stick, cane, belt, pipe, fist and ruler on different parts
of body; with a duster and a book on the head; with a
pencil and a bare palm on cheeks; kicking randomly on
lower parts.
Beating with a bunch of wet stinging nettles.
Making students stand on a bench.
Making students stand in the corridor, outside the classroom.
Pulling ears and the hair of the temples.
Twisting ears.
Pinching cheeks or arms.
Making students sit or stand for a long time.
Pressing a pencil between two fingers and then
pressing them hard.
Poking and prodding with a pencil or a stick.
Hanging from a ceiling fan.
Mutilating an ear or damaging an eye.
Ordering to stand on one leg in the sun.
Making a student walk or run around the school compound 15 to 20 times.
Beating on a wound.
Putting in a sack and tying up the open end.
Banging a student’s head against a wall.
Beating with a sharp nail attached to a flat bamboo stick.
Hitting a student’s head against the wall or a desk.
Forcing students to kneel on a rough surface with naked
knees.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Using words of embarrassment and degrading, discouraging,
insulting, humiliating expressions such as stupid, useless,
hopeless, idiot, nonsense, fool, bloody fool, bastard.
Giving animal names: donkey, monkey, ox, bitch, buffalo.
Threatening to beat severely or expell from school.
Demoralising.
Taking the student to the principal.
Calling parents to the school.
Telling stories of witches, ghosts, wild animals or dacoits to
create fear among primary level students.
Blaming students.
Ordering students to act in a degrading way such as having to
eat grass like sheep or goats.
Forcing students to touch human excrement with the tip of
the tongue.
Ordering students especially girls to stand in the rain.
Making students crow like a rooster or lie down like a donkey.
Frightening students - “ One mistake - five time beating with
a stick.”
Making a girl student stand completely naked in the classroom.
Discriminating on the basis of gender, wealth or background.
Giving too much homework to create mental pressure.
Enforcing solitary confinement in a toilet, cupboard and in a
store to humiliate.
Suspending or expelling students.
Retaining a student as collateral against school dues.
Making a student work in the kitchen of the school hostel.
Insulting in the class by belittling the parents.
Scolding badly.
31
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
given an opportunity to correct their behavior themselves.
They also said that there should be no form of discrimination in the practices of teaching or punishing students.
Participants discussed a range of issues relating to discipline in schools and made a number of suggestions such
as: having smaller sized classes; fostering an encouraging environment at school; ensuring there is no caste or
gender discrimination; maintaining regular interactions
between teachers and parents about the progress of the
students; using creative methods for learning rather than
relying solely on rote recitation; having more practice time
32
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
during school and demanding less homework; hiring
qualified and dedicated teachers on good salaries and
ensuring that teachers know about the rights of the child,
child psychology, and ways to teach non violently.
Overall, there was a general agreement in the parent
groups that mild or severe physical punishment or
verbal abuse can have a negative impact on the relationships between students, teachers, and even parents. The participants therefore believed that teachers
should use other means in order to achieve discipline
with dignity.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
4
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
O
n the basis of the discussions in the focus groups,
it appears that most teachers and many parents
think the best way to discipline children is with severe
physical and emotional punishment because it creates
fear in them and this prevents misbehavior and promotes obedience. While such fear may in fact help control children for the short term, in the long run it will not
be productive because fearful children do not grow with
confidence in new situations, and they will learn that
aggressive and violent reactions are the only solutions
to their problems.
action in the name of discipline even though it is at the
expense of the dignity of their students. While some may
regret the harmful consequences afterwards, many mentioned that they use the only methods for discipline that
are available to them, and they have rarely considered the
potential negative results that can occur as a consequence.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Article 28(2) states, "State parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent with the child's human dignity and in conformity with the present Convention."
Education is essential to help children successfully meet
the challenges that life presents them with. By identifying learning with the fear of punishment students instead are taught lessons that make them insecure, withdrawn, or tense. It can also limit them from realising their
potential and causes many to become anxious, angry, and
even traumatized.
The main aim of discipline is to teach children acceptable
behavior, but corporal punishment does not do so. It
teaches children that "might is right" and that physical
force and demeaning insults are the way to control behavior. Educational researchers claim that every act of
violence by an adult toward a child, no matter how brief
or mild, can leave an emotional scar that can last a lifetime. "With corporal punishment, we are only creating a
generation of psychotic children." (The Hindu, India's National Newspaper, July 12, 2003). Or as C. M. Charles noted:
Nevertheless in Nepal most teachers and parents do not
hesitate in resorting to verbal humiliations and abusive
33
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
"Research shows that punishment can motivate good behavior and suppress bad behavior, but it has its dark side.
If students see punishment as unwarranted, malicious, or
excessive, they develop negative feelings that very difficult
to overcome. Those feelings may discourage students from
learning or even provoke retaliation toward the teacher or
other students." (Building Classroom Discipline: 1996:32)
34
Most teachers and parents in the focus groups admitted
that they do not know the consequences of severe punishment or the alternatives to beatings and emotional abuse.
As a result they do not hesitate in punishing students in
the only ways they know. They make use of the same
methods of discipline they had themselves experienced
and they expect that their own students who become teachers will do the same.
In acting in such ways, these authorities in the school
and home ignore the counsel of Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami, who said, "Those who beat or pinch
or slap or whip their children are enemies to religion,
because they are pushing the next generation into lower
consciousness." (The Hinduism Today, July 1998).
C H I L D R E N
N E P A L
with dignity and based on respect for the rights and well
being of all children in Nepal.
Therefore, teachers as well as parents must be trained on the
detrimental consequences of severe punishment and should
learn alternative methods of discipline. Public awareness
must be raised about the negative impact of corporal and
humiliating punishment in school and at home.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1
2.
3.
4.
What is needed are new and constructive ways of thinking about education and discipline. When this happens
schools and homes can genuinely contribute to building
a more peaceful world and to helping students fulfill their
promise and having satisfying and productive lives. To
achieve these vital goals, the traditional practice of severe
physical and verbal punishment must give way to the
development of educational values centered on discipline
I N
5.
Public awareness must be raised about the extent of corporal punishment and verbal humiliation and their negative consequences on children at school and at home.
There is an urgent need for teachers training on the
consequences of severe punishment and alternative
methods of disciplining students, including the use
of recognition and positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior.
Only trained teachers should be appointed to work in
schools, to correct the situation described by Dr. Bidynath
Koirala, an education expert in Nepal: "Only about 15
percent of all primary teachers have completed ten
months of training." (Kathmandu, August 11, 2003, IPS).
Teachers should know about the rights of the child
and about the principles of child psychology and
development
The Ministry of Education should have a clear policy
against corporal punishment and verbal humiliation
in schools. The ministry should prohibit physical punishment and psychological mistreatment in schools.
The ministry should launch training workshops on
non-violent educational methods for teachers.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
Box 6: Suggestions Made by the Participants
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
There should be a code of conducts for both teachers and
students.
Students should be involved in making school rules and
regulations.
A copy of a school’s rules and regulations should be sent
to parents.
A student must know why s/he has been punished so that
s/he can rectify his/her mistake and not repeat it again.
Teachers or principals should punish students only after
verifying the mistakes of the student.
Students should not be beaten for not wearing the proper
uniform or not having textbooks, notebooks, pens or pencils because they are not responsible for such things.
Students should not be discriminated against by teachers
on the basis of gender, caste, religion, economical status,
or on grounds of intelligence.
Students should not be fined for their mistakes or unacceptable behavior because it would be a punishment for
parents.
Children should be treated humanely and not as if they
are animals.
Principals/teachers should not beat students in front of all
the students of the school during morning Assembly.
Students should be rewarded for their good deeds and for
their good behavior.
Humiliating and insulting words should not be used to
discipline students.
Students should not be given too much homework, they
must get time to play with other children of the neighborhood and have chance to share their feelings. They should
get some time to talk or listen to their family members at
home.
Teachers should remember their school days and recall
how they felt when they were beaten and humiliated.
School managements should create better teaching and
learning environments in schools. Students should be made
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
busy in schools through extra activities such as indoor or
outdoor games, contests or competitions so that they are not
attracted by unsociable activities
Parents would like the government to improve the standard
of public schools so that most parents would not need to send
their children to expensive private schools for a better education.
Parents associations should be formed in each district and at a
national level to fight against severe punishment in schools.
Civil society should pressurise government and school administrations to stop severe punishment in schools and also
arrange programmes to control it at home.
The government should ban corporal punishment and verbal
humiliation in schools. It should launch training workshops on
non-violent teaching for teachers and should use the media
to make the public aware.
Home is the first school for a child and s/he spends more time
at home than in schools. Many children are severely beaten
at home, therefore, parents should also be trained in alternatives to punishment and they should also be made aware of
the consequences of punishment.
If violence is to be eradicated from society, a beginning must
be the control of violence in schools. Examples set in school
can be a constructive influence on family discipline in the
home.
The management of schools should hold regular interaction
with parents to discuss the progress of their children.
The management of school should arrange for smaller classes
and hire qualified and educated teachers at good salaries.
Teachers should use creative methods of teaching rather than
relying solely on rote recitation.
Teachers should know about the rights of the child, child
psychology and ways to teach non-violently.
35
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
6. The media should be involved in a public education
campaign to disseminate information and educate
people about the dangers of physical and emotional
abuse and promote positive ways of disciplining and
raising children.
7. Children should be educated about their right to physical security and safety. Children should be provided
with a means of redress when their rights to protection from violence are violated.
8. Home is the first school of a child and so beatings at
home should also be banned, and parents should be
made aware of the consequences of physical and psychological punishment, and of constructive alternative methods of discipline.
36
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
9. Parents' associations should be formed in each district and at the national level to fight against school
violence.
10. Civil Society should pressure the government and school
administrations to stop severe punishment in schools.
11. The management of schools should create better teaching and learning environments in school and allow
the use of alternatives to severe punishment.
12. An in depth survey should be conducted on corporal
punishment and verbal humiliation within the schools
of Nepal, with an emphasis on determining the extent
and the forms of punishment carried out in primary,
lower secondary and secondary schools and in both
public and private schools.
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
5
O F
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
References
Books
Charles, C.M. (1996) Building Classroom Discipline. Longman Publishers USA.
Clark, L. (1985) SOS Help for Parents: A Practical Guide for Handling Common Everyday Behavior Problems. Parents Press, Bowling Green, USA.
Ilg, Ames Baker (1992) Child Behavior. Harper Perennial, A Division of Harper Collins Publishers, New York, USA.
Mendler, A.N. (1992) What Do I Do When…….?: How to Achieve
Discipline with Dignity in the Classroom. National Educational Service, Bloomington, Indiana.
Morse, P.S. and Ivey, A.E. (1996) Face to Face: Communication and
Conflict
Resolution in the Schools. Corwin Press, INC. A Sage Publications
Company, Thousand Oaks, California.
Read/Patterson (1980) The Nursery School and Kindergarten: Human Relationship and Learning. Holt, Rinehart and Winston USA.
Strauss, M.A. (2001) Beating The Devil Out Of Them. Transaction
Publishers, New Brunswick.
Sprinthall Norman A/Richard C. (1990) Educational Psychology: A
Developmental Approach.
Internet and Newspaper’s Articles
Allen, T.H. "Developing a Discipline Plan for You."
Bluestein, J. "Creating Emotionally Safe Schools: A Guide for Educators and Parents."
Brill, Ronald R. "School Responsibility for Assisting Students who
are Bullied," Buhler, G. Manu Dharmashastra
Elizabeth, B. "Corporal Punishment in Kenyan Schools."
Gorky, D.(1992) "Spare the Child," Teacher Magazine Feb. 1992.
Guthrow J. B. "Correlation Between High Rates of Corporal Punishment in Public Schools and Social pathologies."
Hembree, D. (1989) "The Tragic Side of Classroom Punishment,"
HIPPOCRATES March/April 1989.
Hitt E.P.(2002) "Childhood Abuse Changes the Developing Brain."
Yahoo News December 29, 2000, & January 14, 2002.
37
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
Hinduism Today. July 1998.
Nepal Human Development Report 1998.
The Hindu, India's National Newspaper
O'Boyle, B.. "Corporal Punishment Physical, Psychological and Cognitive Effects for Children."
Human Development in South Asia 1998, Oxford Press, Karachi.
Keeshan B.(1988) "The Time is Now: How much longer will our
nation wait before joining nearly every other developed nation in
banning corporal punishment in schools?" The Humanist, November/December, 1988.
Kimmel, J. "Why Do We Hurt Our Children?"
Malik, S.(2003) "Courts have taken away the rod, but …" The
Tribune, on line edition
April 29, 2003, Chandigarh, India.
Raik, J. (2001) Plain Talk About Spanking. Parents and Teachers
Against Violence in Education (PTAVE).
Raik, J. "Abuse in School is Out."
Srinivasan, P. and Umachanran S.(2003) "Classroom traumas." The
Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper July 12, 2003.
The Tribune, April 29, 2003 Chandigarh, India
Thompson L. (1994) "One Incident is Too Many: Policy Guidelines
for Safe Schools" SSTA Research Paper 1994.
38
Mahajan-Chaudhary, L.(2003) "Corporal punishment is out:
Schools." Mid-day, Mumbai (Bombay), 5 September 2003.
Welsh, R. S. "Delinquency, Corporal Punishment, and the School."
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
Annex 1
CVICT’s
work in positive discipline methods
and follow up of the study
1. A seminar "On Discipline with Dignity" was
organised for high school principals from 28th to 29th
April 1995. Thirty-five principals from schools in the
Kathmandu district attended the seminar. Human
Rights Awareness Training Programs were conducted
for high school teachers in two groups in 1995.
2. A4-day training workshop was organized for CARITAS
teachers in Bhutanese Refugee camps. Seventy teachers
participated in the trainers training workshop in three
different groups in 1997. At the request of a Bhutanese
Human Rights Organization (AHURA), a training of
trainers workshop on "Discipline with Dignity" was
organised for the staff of Child Play Center (CPC) in
Bhutanese Refugee Camps in May 1998. Thereafter
AHURA trained 500 parents in alternatives to discipline.
3. A nationwide essay competition was organised for
schoolteachers. They were asked to write on the cause,
nature, effect and solution of corporal punishment
and verbal humiliation. A total of 150 essays were
received and altogether 14 prizes were given away on
Human Rights Day, 10th December 1998.
4. International Television Trust for the Environment (TVE),
UK and WITNESS, USA co-produced a thirty-minute long
film "Discipline with Dignity in Nepal" with the help of
CVICT in Nepal, in 1998, and it has been dubbed into five
international languages. Nepal Television aired this film
on 14 April 2004. (The film is available upon request).
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
5. At the request of CVICT, Jagrity (Awareness), a special
programme of Nepal Television has broadcasted a talk
programme on Discipline with Dignity in December
1998. The Jagrity Programme of Nepal Television telecasted a new interaction programme on "Discipline
with Dignity" in 2001.
6. Three thousand and five hundred stickers with slogans against corporal punishment and verbal humiliation in school, were produced and distributed to different schools in districts, district education offices,
teachers and NGOs working in the education field.
7. A four-Day ToT training manual on "Non-Violent
Teaching in Schools" was developed in 2003.
8. In 2004 CVICT in collaboration with UNICEF Nepal
initiated the development of four manuals on "Teaching and Learning with Dignity." The manuals have
been developed for trainers, teachers, parents as well
as child club members. By training children, we can
ensure that possible victims will be able to take a firm
stand against any corporal punishment, verbal humiliation and other humiliating acts taken against
them. Core group trainers will train 100 trainers in 4
regions and these trainers will conduct training for
1,500 teachers in 15 districts and the trained teachers
will organise training for parents and children's club
members in their districts. The aim of the training will
be to stop violence in the disciplining of children. The
National Centre for Education Development (NCED)
has also asked CVICT to train 60 national trainers on
"Teaching and Learning with Dignity" so that they
could incorporate it in their teachers' training manual.
39
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
Annex 2
Representative Reports of Abuse in Schools
and at Home
1. Alcohol to Sedate a Child Leads to Later Addiction
A parent of three-year-old boy worked on daily wages. It
was a big problem for him to leave his son alone at home,
he could neither take his son with him nor leave him on is
own and so he started giving drops of alcohol to his son
so that he could sleep in his absence. Later, the boy became addicted to alcohol and was a drunkard.
40
2. Assault by Teacher Causes Broken Arm and School
Absence
A student was beaten by his teacher in his class because
he could not submit his homework. The teacher slapped
the student so hard that he fell from his bench and broke
his right arm and hurt his right elbow. He was taken to
hospital and his arm was plastered, making it impossible
for him to attend school for a number of days. His parents
went to the school and complained and threatened the
teacher and were placated by the school principal.
3. Attempt on Teacher's Life after Beating
A teacher recounts the story of a student who now sells
tickets at a cinema hall and repents what he once did to a
schoolteacher. The boy was studying in a boarding school
and one day a teacher slapped him in class. The student felt
humiliated and angry and so came back after class with two
friends. One of them tried to stab the teacher but he was
saved by his colleagues. The boys were handed over to the
police and the student was expelled from the school.
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
4. Hanging from Ceiling Fan Causes School Drop-Out A
student was a very keen carom player and he spent time
playing with his friend instead of being in class. When
the teacher discovered this on the following day he beat
the boys and hung them from the ceiling fan. As a consequence the boy stopped attending school.
5. Psychosomatic Symptoms from Humiliation of
Student Leader
Monitors are generally nominated to maintain class discipline in the absence of teacher. A monitor was nominated for class IX. One day one of teachers ordered him to
sit at the back of the class. The monitor felt so insulted
and humiliated that he left that school and joined another. Later, he started having psychological problems
such as headaches, eyes pain and sleep disturbance.
6. Specialized Hospitalisation Required for Ruptured
Ear from Beating
A nine year old studied in a middle school of Dhading
district in year 2. He was beaten by a teacher and as a
consequence his ear was damaged. He was not given
medicine so he just washed his ear with water and bore
the pain for two hours. Only at the end of the school day
was he sent home. He was taken to Kathmandu because
he could not get proper treatment in the district hospital.
7. Innocent Student Fights Back against Abusive
Teacher
A maths teacher made five students stand in front of the
class and started beating them one by one for disturbing
the class by making silly noises. One student fought back
and was taken to the principal. He told the principal, "I
A
S T U D Y
O F
T H E
S Y S T E M
O F
was innocent - I told this to the teacher but he did not
listen to me and started beating. I am extremely sorry, in
rage I hit the teacher back."
8. Lasting Traumatic Memories from Unfair Beating
One parent recounted the following story. One day when
she was playing with her friends outside her house her
father in a rage grabbed her hair and hit her very hard with
his bare hands in front of her friends. All her friends ran
away from the scene. "I can never forget that day," she said.
9. Injury to Hands and Fingers
A Grade 8 teacher entered class to teach moral science
looking more stressed that day than on other days.
Abruptly, he started asking students questions about the
previous lesson. He made the students who could not
answer his questions stand up on the bench and then he
started beating them with a stick. A boy was beaten on his
palm in such a way that his fingers were swollen but he
couldn't tell his parents thinking that they would also
beat him. Sometimes teachers have their own problems
and they take this out on their students
10. Anal Penetration and Infection
A teacher had given some homework to class and asked
the students to submit their homework the following day.
One of students could not do this. The teacher got angry
and started beating him and his tension rose to such an
extent that he pushed a stick into the student's anus making painful wounds. However, the student couldn't tell
anyone.
S C H O O L
D I S C I P L I N E
I N
N E P A L
11. Verbal Humiliation and Beating
A teacher recalled the days when he was a student in
grade 8. One day his teacher dictated an essay in class.
One of the students who was slow in writing could not
write every word his teacher dictated. When the teacher
checked everyone's notebook he became angry to see his
incomplete essay and in his anger he verbally humiliated
the student saying that he was a burden on his parents
and on his community as well. When the student tried to
explain his weakness the teacher just ignored what he
was saying and beat him badly with a stick.
12. Physical Assault Provoking Revenge
A student of class 5 was very disobedient. A strict teacher
at his school couldn't stand his misbehavior. He reproved
him and asked him to stop but the student continued. And
so the teacher beat him harshly. The student challenged
the teacher, saying that he would become a police officer
and would punish him in the years to come. This illustrates the way punishment can arouse a wish for revenge.
13. Behavioral Improvement through Severe Beating
A parent believed that "without a bridle and a whip, a
horse can't carry its rider". He narrated a story about his
own son who used to tie the laces of the shoes of others
before they went to the office. It was a big problem for all
the members of the family. They did their best to make
him stop doing it but all their efforts were in vain. Becoming tired of this the father beat him severely and
from that day he stopped. Therefore, he said punishment is good to discipline children.
41
V I O L E N C E
A G A I N S T
14. Exacerbation of Wound by Beating
A student fell from a rickshaw while he was going to
school and so he missed school for five days. When he
returned to school he was beaten for being absent without permission. The beating happened on the wound
from his fall and he became sick. His doctor advised him
to rest for one month. The boy who used to be first in the
class was placed in the 15th position afterwards, said
one of the participants.
42
15. Student Retaliation against Teacher
A parent recounted the following story: "In my house, a
teacher had rented a flat. He was a strict teacher. I was
happy because my children were well controlled due to
his presence. He generally beats his students in school.
One day he beat a student severely. Next day, the student
threw some stones at the windows of his flat and glass
panes were broken. From outside the student threatened
that he would not spare him and he would take revenge
for the classroom beating. It was a big problem for me. I
asked him to leave the flat he rented."
16. Use of Close Confinement as Punishment
Locking in a toilet, a cupboard or classroom is a usual
form of punishment in private schools. Another form of
punishment is to lock a student in a storeroom for not
doing homework.
C H I L D R E N
I N
N E P A L
17. Psychological Symptoms from Severe Beating
A female participant told the story of a teacher who beat
her daughter so severely that she started showing psychological symptoms such as being frightened of loud
voices, having nightmares of being beaten, cursing her
teacher and crying for help in her sleep. She recovered
after long treatment.
18. Unfair Punishment of Innocent Student
A student of class 7 fell sick and could not go to school for
two days. When he returned to school his teacher asked
him to submit his homework, which he could not do because of his illness. Without trying to know the reason the
teacher started beating him all over his body even though
the student tried to explain why he could not do his homework. The teacher thought he was making excuses, so he
did not listen to him and punished him with a bamboo
stick.
19. Suicide as Consequence of Severe Humiliation
A teacher participant told about an incident that had
occurred nearly two years before. A student was badly
punished for not doing his homework and he was so
shocked and felt so humiliated that he kept weeping and
did not raise his head while sitting in his class that day.
After school when he went home he committed suicide by
hanging himself.
SERIES 2
United Nations Children's Fund
UN House, Pulchowk
P.O. Box 1187, Kathmandu, Nepal
Telephone 977-1 5523 200
Facsimile 977-15527 280/5535 395
www.unicef.org/nepal
VIOLENCE
AGAINST
CHILDREN
IN NEPAL
A Study of the System of School
Discipline in Nepal