Dear Editor,
I read with astonishment and abhorrence the article in the Kaieteur News about President David Granger’s position of there being no place for corporal punishment in Guyana, and his plans to abolish all forms of corporal punishment in schools and in the home.
Firstly the President made reference to what he said was a biblical quote, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”. But there is no such saying in the Bible, and he may have been referring to ‒ “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child but the rod of correction will drive it far from him”. Now I would agree that the abuse of corporal punishment should be abolished, or that other forms of punishment should accompany it, but not that all forms of corporal punishment should be abolished.
Secondly, it was mentioned in the same article that the environment where there is corporal punishment cannot be a learning one if it persists. Both the President of Guyana and Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, the Minister of Education, lived through the period of corporal punishment at its pinnacle (at least I have not heard of anyone of that generation having to kneel on a grater) and suddenly, now, generations later, it is said the environment of corporal punishment cannot be a learning one?
If the President can deal with the crime wave and reduce the suicide rate among teenagers and young adults, I will consider removing all forms of corporal punishment from my home. However, if these issues cannot be brought under control I will disagree, because if I exclude corporal punishment from my home, in another 10 years I might be adding to those statistics.
Yours faithfully,
Jermaine Locke
