Discipline Problems

One of the hardest aspects about working in the schools around Livingstone was operating in a system that frequently uses corporal punishment on students. In fact, corporal punishment (“beating” as it’s known here) is really the only system used for discipline in the schools. As such, it’s the only type of discipline to which the students respond.

Beating typically involves a teacher having a student or group of students fetch a branch from outside. She then proceeds to whack the kids on their backsides. Typically, the whack isn’t malicious, but more of a stern reminder about proper behavior. Other teachers prefer to beat the children by whacking the back of the eraser on their fingertips. In all the instances I’ve observed, the punishment is not overtly abusive. Other volunteers, though, have had to witness outright child abuse.

On principle, I am adamantly opposed to corporal punishment. I believe in that violence begets violence. If physical punishment is the only way to resolve problems in school, how will these students solve adult problems in the future? However, I also do not believe I can question the cultural values displayed in Zambian schools. I can respect this honest cultural difference. Under no circumstances, though, can I participate in the beating of a child.

The frustrating part for me and the other volunteers is that corporal punishment is the only effective way to discipline the classroom. More peaceful techniques such as yelling, removing students from the room, “time-outs”, or any other non-violent method simply do not work. More often than not, the regular classroom teacher will intervene when discipline problems get out of control by having a student fetch a branch. Many teaching volunteers, including myself, quickly become disenchanted by this process and found little fulfillment in the Zambian classrooms. This is regrettable because the children are absolutely wonderful, but victims of a broken discipline system. Hopefully, a solution can be found to avoid this problem in the future.

Zac