Riyaz Bhat
Srinagar, Jul 27: School Education Department Thursday ordered blanket ban on corporal punishment and other forms of child abuse in the educational institutes of Kashmir Division.
Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) in a circular said, “Distressing Complaints are pouring in regarding corporal punishment to the students in schools as per the report received from IMHANS-K resulting in Mental Health issues in school going children,”
DSEK said that the negative consequences of corporal punishment not only hinder the learning and development of the affected children but also create an environment of fear and hostility within the Educational Institutions
The circular states that the Corporal punishment has an ill effect on the mental health of the child which is the cause of concern for the parents and the department.
“Whenever a child is assaulted, abused, exposed or neglected in a manner to cause physical or mental suffering by any person employed by or managing an organisation, which is entrusted with the care and protection of the child, the punishment would be rigorous imprisonment up to three years and fine up to Rs five lakh,” it reads.
“On account of the ‘cruelty’, if the child is physically incapacitated or develops a mental illness or is rendered mentally unfit to perform regular tasks or has risk to life or limb, then imprisonment may extend up to ten years,” DSEK said.
DSEK impressed upon all the School Heads and teaching officials of both private and government institutions to refrain from inflicting the corporal punishment on students in the educational institutions.
“The deviations in this regard will be viewed seriously and the strict punitive measures will be taken against the violator as per the intensity of the abuse,” reads the circular.
DSEK instructed CEOs, Cluster Heads, Zonal Education Officers, Headmasters of High Schools, Headmasters of Middle and Primary Schools of both government and Private, co-coordinators of recognised private tuition centres to ensure the blanket ban on the corporal punishment and other forms of abuse as envisaged in Guidelines for Eliminating Corporal Punishment in Schools by NCPCR) in all the private and government schools in their respective domains.
