Corporal Punishment

In recent months, while conducting teacher training sessions and teaching in schools, I have found myself increasingly concerned about students’ discipline. The children sitting in our classrooms today feel very different from those we taught before the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them are restless, impulsive, and struggle to maintain focus for extended periods. They become distracted from their lessons and often ignore even simple daily responsibilities.

As a trainer and psychologist, this change troubles me deeply. I heard the same concern again and again from parents and teacher colleagues. Teachers report frequent classroom conflicts, students refusing to listen, constant movement, and a growing tendency to blame others for minor mistakes. These are not isolated incidents. They are signs of something deeper, something we cannot solve by scolding or punishment alone.

Naturally, teachers have tried to regain control using the methods we ourselves were taught. We ask stricter questions, issue repeated warnings, restrict playtime, and sometimes even suggest that parents limit children’s internet use at home. Yet, despite all these efforts, improvement has been minimal. At that point, I began to ask myself an uncomfortable question: What if the problem is not the child, but the way we have been guiding them? This question pushed me to look beyond visible behaviour and search for its roots.

Last month, I conducted a small case study among 67 students from classes 5 and 6, aged between 10 and 12. These students are from different parts of Nepal and had studied in both public and private schools, though most were from private institutions. I focused on their early schooling years, especially up to class 4, when a child’s emotional foundation is still forming. I have been guided by the belief that present behaviour often reflects past experiences. I asked the students simple, non-threatening questions about how discipline was practiced in their early school life. What they shared was painful to hear.

Only six students said they had never faced corporal punishment during their early schooling. The rest spoke openly about different forms of physical and emotional punishment they had got. About half of them had been repeatedly forced to sit up and down while holding their ears. Around 40 percent had been beaten with dusters or iron scales. Ear-pulling, hair-pulling, and being made to sit like a “chicken” were described as routine practices.

Some stories were far more disturbing. A few students recalled teachers hitting two children’s heads together, locking them alone in classrooms or toilets, pressing their fingers with pens or pencils, and, in extreme cases, forcing them to remove their clothes, even inner garments. These experiences were not shared with anger, but with quiet discomfort, proof that the pain still lingers.

As I observed these children in class and compared their behaviour with their early experiences, a clear pattern emerged. Students who had not faced corporal punishment were generally calm, disciplined, creative, respectful, and focused on their work. They showed confidence and emotional balance. They were not perfect but they were secure. In contrast, many students who had experienced severe punishment at a young age appeared restless, aggressive, distracted, and emotionally unsettled. They struggled with self-control and responsibility, the very behaviours that now worry teachers the most. 

This small study reminded me of a simple but powerful truth: punishment may silence a child for a moment, but it leaves marks that last for years. Fear may control behaviour temporarily, but it does not teach understanding, responsibility, or respect. This finding also proven Children learn best when they feel safe. When fear and humiliation replace guidance, children do not become disciplined; they become defensive, angry, or withdrawn. Over time, this emotional damage begins to show in their behaviour.

If we truly wish to raise disciplined, responsible, and compassionate citizens, we must look honestly at how we treat children during their most sensitive years. The challenges we see in today’s classrooms did not appear overnight. They are the result of long emotional journeys, many filled with unnecessary pain. Discipline should guide, not harm. Attitude cannot be changed through fear, but it can be shaped through care, patience, and understanding. As educators and adults, choosing this path is not just an option; it is our responsibility.