Corporal Punishment In Schools. You can find Previous Year Argumentative Essay Topics asked in ICSE board exams.
Argumentative Essay Topic – Corporal Punishment In Schools
Introduction:
What is corporal punishment? It should be abolished.
- School is detested by students.
- It inhibits the child’s natural urge to learn.
- Results in school dropouts and often causes grievous injury
- Affects personality development of the student
Conclusion:
Need to ban corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is meted out to students in school by teachers, for minor act of indiscipline or misbehaviour. This is a retributive form of punishment in which teachers resort to caning or spanking. The objective of awarding such form of punishment is to deter others from committing the same mistake. This concept and method of punishment, is not conducive to education in school, which is a temple of learning.
Students go to school to acquire knowledge and to add to their mental acumen, rather than be subjected to torture and humiliation which erodes their self esteem and confidence. Such schools become a dignified prison, where students follow set rules and procedures, the non-compliance of which invites immediate retribution. Thus instead of looking forward to another day at school, students are happy staying away from it, defeating the very objective of a school.
Corporal punishment also inhibits their mental faculty, which gets clouded with fear and apprehension. It curtails the natural urge of experimenting and learning through trial and error, which is vital in the learning process. The lurking fear of punishment on committing a mistake dampens their initiative. They thus remain content in following rules, which curb their creative talent to do things differently.
Often such punishment has a telling effect on the morale of the student who avoid going to school. Apart from physical injury, the embarrassment that accompanies it has a profound effect on the psychology of the young pupil. They detest the school and its tormentors and often drop out of school. Thus not only does it kill the desire to acquire knowledge, but also changes the course of their life, turning them a criminal or an antisocial element. There are also instances, of students being crippled for life or even dying, because of being subjected to severe form of corporal punishment.
Corporal punishment also has a crippling effect on the personality of the students shattering their self confidence and self belief. They are temperamentally nervous and lacking in drive and initiative. This reflects in their lack of creativity and self-esteem which makes them a misfit in the society.
Indeed the days of ‘ Spare the rod and spoil the child’ are over. There is an urgent need to ban corporal punishment in schools if the quality of education is to be enhanced. It is encouraging to note that many institutions have done away with this form of punishment. Moreover doing away with corporal punishment would encourage more and more students to go to school. This would benefit the society, for in the words of Victor Hugo, “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.”
Assignments
- ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’. Give your views for or against the statement.
- ‘Fear of punishment only enforces discipline.’ Give your views for or against the statement.