The Fijian Teachers Association is calling for public consultation on the reintroduction of corporal punishment in schools, as Fiji ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child without any consultation while the Fiji Teachers Union is urging teachers not to inflict corporal punishment.
FTA General Secretary Paula Manumanunitoga says they have observed that, over the years, teachers have struggled to control their classrooms, particularly during contact hours when they are teaching.
He highlighted this following the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission’s unequivocal condemnation of the Association’s recent call to reintroduce corporal punishment in schools.
In an interview with fijivillage News, Manumanunitoga says that in the iTaukei setup, since the arrival of Christianity, the rod has always been readily available.
He says they would correct behaviour by implementing what is now referred to as corporal punishment or abuse.
Manumanunitoga says cultures around the world traditionally used such corrective measures to address behaviour, but suddenly, he believes, due to the rise of the gay rights movement, a shift began in favour of human rights.
He says they must just not swallow anything that the world gives us as some countries have not ratified that convention but have instead modified and contextualised it to suit their own countries and cultures.
Meanwhile, the FTU General Secretary Muniappa Goundar is urging teachers not to inflict corporal punishment on students as a means of discipline, as it is unconstitutional.
Goundar says they recognise the need to devise alternative methods to discipline students who misbehave or underperform academically.
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