Do parents need to be punished?

China to enact controversial law

The University of Mpumalanga’s education department reckons China’s law, which plans to hold parents responsible for their children’s misbehaviour, could just be what is needed to curb runaway waywardness that has resulted in injuries and fatalities in South Africa’s learning centres and school yards.

China was, this week, preparing to pass a law that would punish parents if their children misbehave.

“For similar legislative measures to work in our setting, it would require searching for and/or formulating a philosophy that would bind us all together,” said University of Mpumalanga professor of education Sechaba Mahlomaholo.

China’s draft family education promotion law intends to place responsibility on parents for unruly children.

Under the law, parents will be sent to attend training and their employers informed.

“Not only is this needed in the province but in the rest of the continent, especially in South Africa. We tried to implement moral regeneration programmes in schools and our communities, but … some people saw it as a cash cow.

“With the highest levels of violence … one notices that we missed something very huge in the upbringing of our children,” Mahlomaholo told Sunday World.

He said education authorities, parents and caregivers should look at what the Chinese law intends to achieve.

“For example, this law wants to ensure that children are raised properly and that institutions such as crèches, schools and foster homes raise the children well, with bonds with their parents strengthened in instances where they are still there,” he said.

He said the Chinese law was also open to exploring. “Now if parents and caregivers do not implement these, then the punishment measures such as detention are implemented. However, this happens after thorough training of parents and caregivers to be knowledgeable and truly mindful of what is expected of them,” he said.

Mahlomaholo said though the education system in Mpumalanga was working well, there was a need for the university, schools, education departments and municipalities to work together.