FIX NEEDED: GIVE PARENTS, TEACHERS TRAINING IN DISCIPLINING CHILDREN

OUR big problem is that we abolished corporal punishment but did not put anything else in its place.

Our children are, therefore, operating in an environment where there is, in effect, no consequence for bad behaviour.

This has resulted in a general breakdown of discipline, nationwide. There is no respect for law and order, authority or for fellow pupils.

Discipline is much more than punishment. But punishment must not be removed as an option. We stopped beating the children and now the children are beating us.

The diminishing role of the extended family and the “village” in the upbringing of children and the decline in parenting skills have further worsened the disciplinary problems. Many children are left unsupervised for long periods as parents, particularly single ones, have to work long hours and do not have the traditional support mechanism of the extended family and friends.

I am recommending the government establish a standing advisory board with responsibility for devising measures for the enhancement of parenting skills, including the training and disciplining of children, at home and at school.

That board should, among other things, undertake a review of the history, culture and causes of indiscipline, as well as effective measures adopted to combat indiscipline and facilitate the proper training of children. This advisory board should recommend that parenting skills be part of the secondary school curriculum.

Further, teachers should be trained in effective methods of disciplining children in school. Workshops on parenting skills should be conducted for would-be parents (both women and men).

A full programme of parenting skills should be available at community centres. In this regard, the government should make use of conventional media (radio, TV and the press) as well as social media.

Children guilty of serious acts of indiscipline at school or elsewhere should be required by law to attend free, compulsory remedial parenting classes. SHAISTA MIA

Morningside YOUR front-page article “Pupil beaten while trying to help another” in the

Sunday Tribune Herald on March 18 refers.

As a parent, I am concerned about the safety of children in school. School grounds have become battlefields where pupils fight. Pupils, teachers and even security guards are not safe from intruders.

Teacher-pupil violence is also of concern. Teachers should be trained to deal with unruly pupils and we as parents need to help those pupils. It is a bad thing to hear your child was harmed at school – which should be a safe place to send our children to. RESHIKA MAHARAJ

Chatsworth CHILD abuse seems all the more heartbreaking when it occurs at the hands of a parent or caregiver, leaving the community asking how such a thing can happen.

Discipline is not synonymous with love. Anyone who argues otherwise would need to explain the difference between that and a man who beats a woman, who in turn accepts it as a sign of his love.

Children are not cattle, so you can’t raise them. They are not plants, so you can’t grow them. They are human beings and should be guided, mentored, protected and loved.

Dialogue and painless inflicting methods are, in my view, how to discipline a child. Any act of discipline that inflicts physical, psychological and mental pain on a child is abuse.

Often the blame is placed on government agencies. Those who work in the child welfare system know that it is a system overburdened and underresourced, struggling to meet the demands.

Officials struggle to meet increasing needs with dwindling resources. Meanwhile, children are at risk.

We can help. We can support agencies that provide mentoring, counselling, adequate housing, outreach to young families, food and job skills training.

We need more people to step forward and make a commitment to ensure our children are safe from harm. SAJIDA TIMOL

Overport