Is Punishment (Corporal or Verbal) an Effective Means of Discipline in Schools?: Case Study of Two Basic Schools in Greater Khartoum/Sudan

Abstract

The study reported on, in this paper sought to investigate on the issue of corporal and verbal punishment as means of disciplining pupils’ behavior in basic schools in Sudan. The practice of corporal punishment in schools is an indication of the absence of meaningful access to quality education that all nations worldwide are aiming to achieve by the year 2015. Moreover, punishment is against children rights that are well considered in the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC) which is ratified by government of Sudan. The main focus of the current study is on the reasons that led some teachers’ support and use corporal punishment in basic schools in Khartoum state, Sudan though they are aware of its prohibition as it was spelt in the country's education policy. Pupils’ opinions and perceptions about the use of punishment in schools are also looked into. The data for this study was collected by adopting qualitative research design. The study was conducted in two basic schools in Khartoum state (one governmental and one private school) from which ten teachers were selected and interviewed in addition to a group discussion held with ten pupils in grades seven and eight. The study findings revealed the facts that some teachers knew that punishment has negative impact on pupils’ behaviour and personality but there are no other alternatives they could follow: other teachers believed that they punish their pupils due to the stress and frustration they experience. The school environment is poor and lacking all facilities that might be useful for modeling pupils’ behavior and absorbing the unwanted behaviors. Pupils on the other hand see no justification for their teachers to hit, kick, slap or call them with bad names. Some of the pupils mentioned that they have developed sense and feelings of fear, frustration, aggression, low self-esteem, low confidence and lacked motivation for learning as result of the continuous punishment. The study concluded by stressing the issue that a meaningful access to quality education is one that strengthens the promotion of children psychological well being and competencies. The practice of punishment (physical or verbal) on pupils in schools is a reflection of poor teaching and discipline.