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Corporal punishment is an offence under the law and teachers committing the offence in schools will be charged for assault says Police Media Liaison Officer, Inpector Atunaisa Sokumuri.

Students have sustained injuries due to corporal punishment in the past years and despite warnings from the ministry of education some teachers continue to inflict injuries on children as a form of discipline. Teachers are reminded that when you dish out corporal punishment in schools, you are committing an offence and it comes under the offence of assault.

“Teachers deal with children in their everyday work and sometimes they might be irritating.

Sometimes they might cause the teachers to lose their temper.

But teachers must realize that there are other ways to discipline students and don’t dish out corporal punishment or other means of punishment which might cause injuries to them,” said IP Sokumuri.

“The teachers must understand that the students know that it is not allowed for teachers to give them corporal punishment and that assault is an offence,” he added.

“They know the law and they will straight away inform their parents and their parents will inform the police.

This would lead to the teacher being prosecuted and he/ she might lose his/her job.

He added its very important now, not only for teachers but for everybody to know that assault is not allowed, it’s an offence, so try and use other means of discipline.

“Talk to your children if she/ he commit something that you don’t like. That’s the only way around the whole thing to avoid yourself from being prosecuted,” he added.

Ministry of education sent out circulars a few years ago that corporal punishment should be stopped.

The Minister for education Filipe Bole also sent a reminder few days ago to teachers that corporal punishment should be stopped.

Everybody should know that and that’s the bottom-line from the ministry of education and all types of corporal punishment in schools should be stopped immediately.

“People must also remember that corporal punishment is not banned only in schools, but parents, relatives, guardians and other people are not allowed to assault children.

It is an offence and you better be careful if you want to punish a child for his/her mistakes,” warned IP Sokumuri.

No more corporal punishment in the school and that’s a clear warning for all.