Kathmandu, February 8:

School education experts have called schools not to subject children to corporal punishment.

Speaking at an interaction today on violence against children in school education, Karna Bahadur Shahi, general secretary of the National Private and Boarding Schools Association, Nepal (N-PABSON), called for an end to such punishment.

Stressing the need to maintain discipline with dignity, he said, “No child should be subjected to corporal or psychological punishment in the name of maintaining discipline.” “The percentage of violence is high in private schools in comparison to government schools.”

“There is a high chance that children may resort to revenge if they are harassed in public,” said Ram Swarup Sinha, executive director of the Educational Human Resource Development Centre (EHRDC).

“There should be democracy for students in schools. Private schools, in the name of imparting quality education, coerce students.”

Lakshya Bahadur KC, general secretary of the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation, Nepal, accused the government and non-government organisations of providing training to teachers of government schools only.

“If teachers of private schools had been given proper training, the high rate of violence in private schools could have been curbed.”

Sinha, however, said, “The EHRDC is ready to help teachers of private schools get trained, but the schools themselves are reluctant to send the teachers for long-term training.”