The evidence is that corporal punishment is ineffective and harmful

Dear Editor,

My gripe here is specifically targeted at those persons who are opposed to the abolition of corporal punishment for the wrong reasons. In my efforts to help these doubters to embrace change for the better, I would refer them to the article by psychologist Elizabeth T Gershoff (‘More Harm than Good: A Summary of Scientific Research on the Intended and Unintended Effects of Corporal Punishment on Children…’) and remind them of a letter I wrote in KN in October, 2012 on the alternatives to corporal punishment.

Editor, I saw and read with delight the commitments made by both Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and President David A Granger to abolish corporal punishment in our schools. I have written on this topic numerous times and to triangulate with these two scholars is an honour. However, in the middle of this equilibrium lies the Guyana Teachers’ Union and it is my hope they read the above article and persuade their members that the alternatives are better for creating a progressive learning environment. Corporal punishment is the root cause of domestic abuse, truancy, violent behaviour and public disorder.

There is overwhelming evidence that physical punishment is both ineffective and harmful to child development. Some senior educators have argued that the word ‘debate’ should be left out of the spanking conversation, because the science against it is so clearly one-sided. Frankly, there aren’t two sides. There is a preponderance of fact and there are people who find it inconvenient to accept those facts, especially when the finding shows that spanking children has serious negative effects. Gershoff’s studies found there was a strong correlation between corporal punishment and negative behaviours, including increased aggression and antisocial behaviour.

Change should be given a chance.

Yours faithfully,

Brendon Mounter