AFC Restates Objection to Corporal Punishment

Jun 30, 2011 News

The Alliance for Change has responded to an alleged beating of a 13-year old boy in school by the headmaster. The child suffered serious damage to his hands. The party reiterated its objection to corporal punishment.
According to reports reaching Kaieteur News, the boy was being disciplined by the head teacher of an East Berbice Secondary School for fighting with another child on June 23, when he suffered severe damage to his hand.
Recollecting that his party had in the past called for an end to this form of discipline being met out to children, AFC Presidential Candidate, Khemraj Ramjattan, said yesterday “We in the AFC want the abolition of corporal punishment in schools. We want it all over the country, but we have given in half way allowing for parents only to continue using this form of punishment”.
He referred to the United Nations convention on the Rights of the Child in which such disciplinary measures are described as archaic and degrading.
Mr Ramjattan told this newspaper that the information received by his party indicated the punishment was so severe that the boy’s hand was broken, although the AFC did not see a medical report on the injury.
“That is why he could not put his hand down; that is why it was in a sling all last week,” he contended.
Kaieteur News was informed that a preliminary medical opinion on the child’s injury indicted that it might be a hairline fracture.
“It’s a torture case really,” the Member of Parliament said.
He charged that the PPP/C Government is attempting to cover up the incident by using measures to stop the boy’s parents from speaking on the matter.
“We got communication from the [boy’s] father that they do not wish to take up the issue any more,” he said and added, “They said they were spoken to”.