This refers to the editorial, ‘Cruelty at school’ (Nov 23). The editor highlighted a recent incident where a young student at the Larkana Cadet College was tortured by the staff. The young boy was tortured so brutally that he has been paralysed. The school authorities claimed that the boy suffered from mental issues and was a poor student. Even if we believe the school’s claims of the student being weak in studies, the alleged torture would still be condemnable. Teachers should have come with another solution to engage the student in students instead of choosing a brutal way of punishment. It is saddening that at present, a lot of teachers focus on those children only who are good in studies. Teachers don’t offer extra help to students who are a little weaker in studies than their class fellows. A lot of students drop out of schools because they have trouble passing the English paper. If we had more dedicated teachers, they would have helped such students to pass the subject.
After this incident, there is a dire need for the government to take a few measures to deal with the increasing physical punishment in schools. Teachers of every school should be counselled and warned that the mishandling of young students will result in loss of their jobs and a financial penalty. At the moment, the staff of the cadet college involved in the beating of the student should be suspended without pay till it is proven that they are not guilty as charged.
Syed Hussein El-Edroos
Islamabad