The Government of Lagos state has reaffirmed its decision to ban corporal punishment in schools suggesting counselling to be more effective.
This was disclosed during an interview with NANS on Monday where the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, said flogging could cause fatal incidents or cause injuries. He stated those as the reason for the ban including fainting.
However, the commissioner highlighted “positive reinforcement” as a more effective way of getting indisciplined children to behave. He mentioned cutting grass, picking wastes, kneeling, and stressed on counselling as a part of it.
“There is a policy here in Lagos and other parts of the country prohibiting teachers from giving corporal punishment to students/pupils.
“Against flogging, we have adopted counselling as a measure of correction.
“The idea is to bring to the student’s knowledge, reasons he/she must not misbehave, the counselling is basically to correct,” he explained.
Far back in 2022, flogging was prohibited in both private and public schools in Lagos state whereas the Safeguarding and Child Protection Programme was launched.
With aim to properly reinforce children’s safety and adopt alternative and better disciplinary measures, Alli-Balogun said that a lot of positive differences has been recorded in the attitudes of school children since this ban.
On the other hand, he attributed some misbehaviour to poor parenting and advised parents to involve themselves in the lives of their children, the more.
Read Also: Lagos State Government Bans Single-use Plastics in the State
