This week a social media video landed on the Daily Voice’s news diary.
During our morning news conference, we watched the “shocking” clip of a school teacher giving a learner “six of the best” with what looked to be a plank or large wooden ruler.
The video, which was apparently recorded by a pupil in the classroom at Steenberg High School, had been shared widely on Facebook.
There were gasps in the conference room.
Munier, who can be old-fashioned about these things, commented: “What’s so shocking about this?”
“Corporal punishment is illegal,” said a colleague.
HOT TOPIC: Steenberg High video of an onnie hitting a pupil went viral on social media and questioned the abolishment of corporal punishment
“Oh right, of course,” said Munier sheepishly.
Another “older” co-worker groaned: “ Yoh, now that poor teacher is going to lose his job over this.”
Corporal punishment is always a hot topic.
Munier was no stranger to pakslae when he was a stoute laaitie.
PROBLEM: Laaities of today are out of control and need proper parenting at school
He used to get it from all sides, day in and day out.
At the strict Christian boys’ primary school he attended, he used to get regular canings in class.
With the “nice” teachers, he only got a few cuts on the palm of the hand with a plastic ruler.
But when he was really diep innie stront, he was marched to the principal’s office.
There the headmaster pulled out his hyper-extension lat, which was coated in red insulation tape, and took a mighty swing at his stoute gat.
At madressah, the sheikh didn’t hold back either. If Munier didn’t do his homework, or “maak his les faam”, he had to buk vir his geluk.
There was no escape for Munier.
Later, when the teachers and sheikhs informed his parents of his kattekwaad, he felt the wrath of his daddy’s belt or his mommy’s sloffie.
This was old-school discipline. “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”
“ As hulle nie wil hoor nie, moet hulle voel.”
Laaities didn’t know about words like “corporal punishment”, “abuse” and “assault”, and nor did the parents.
Now, Munier wouldn’t want to be an advocate for hidings, or even claim that his years of sore bum syndrome somehow taught him respect and made him a better person.
But it sure as hell taught him about the consequences of his misconduct.
For 20 years now, corporal punishment has been prohibited at South African schools. It’s viewed as “abuse” or even “assault”.
But surely there’s a difference?
Munier recalls one incident when he was in Standard 4 - a teacher klapped a boy in the face so hard that he wet his pants.
The following morning, the laaitie’s father stormed into the classroom.
In front of all the kids, he wagged his finger at the onnie and boomed: “If you do that again, I will @#% you up!”
Many other parents would have done the same.
If the teacher had given the child a normal caning, there would not have been that ugly scene.
Perhaps the toppie would even have approved of the onnie’s method of discipline.
There is a difference between striking a child in anger, and for the purpose of discipline.
There is a difference between punishing, and bullying or abuse.
But that’s just Munier’s two cents, and it doesn’t really matter because it’s all illegal now anyway.
In these (more constitutionally and politically correct) times, school discipline methods have changed.
Nowadays, kids are held back in detention, and excluded from sports and other activities.
But how effective are these modern methods?
Many believe that with the scrapping of corporal punishment, children have become less respectful, disciplined and mindful of authority.
We can all agree that, in general, kids of today are out of control, and there is a dire need for proper parenting and guidance at schools.
So what can we, as society and schools, do to correct this?
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