A story by Ghana News Agency
The
Ho Polytechnic Basic School has instituted the writing of apology letters to
replace corporal punishment in the school.
Pupils
now write apology letters, after a written report on the misdemeanor, and read
to them in front of their mates, with a promise not to repeat the wrongdoing.
The school authorities announced the
initiative at a Parent Teacher Association meeting on Tuesday. The
authorities, in the cluster of schools, who pleaded anonymity, told the Ghana
News Agency that the initiative was in response to directives from the Ghana
Education Service on the use of corporal punishment.
Writing
apology letters would improve the pupils’ written and spoken language and
enhance their public speaking skills, they said.
Other
alternative punitive measures were “naming and shaming,” “writing of lines,”
and counselling.
Some
pupils were also asked to weed or work on the school’s rubbish dump depending
on the gravity of the offense.
The
authorities said the punishments were done at the pupil’s free time and did not
affect contact hours in the classroom.
The
authorities said though implementation of the initiatives started a few months
ago, they were yielding positive results.
Some
parents at the meeting welcomed the initiative but a good number of them
criticized the G.E.S. directive saying; “we spoil the child when we spare the
rod.”
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