 |  Video footage has been posted on the Internet showing a first-grade teacher at an elementary school in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province slapping a young schoolchild on the cheek and throwing books at him. This caused a stir and the teacher was dismissed.?
According to a survey of about 8,100 students at 272 nationwide primary and secondary schools, conducted by the Korea Social Research Center, 79.6 percent of the respondents said they have received corporal punishment from teachers this year. This shows corporal punishment is routine at school. But 57.1 percent said they deserved it because they did wrong. This shows a majority of students still accept corporal punishment.
Corporal punishment was banned under an enforcement decree to the Primary and Secondary Education Act, which was revised in 1998, with a string of exceptions applied for 밻ducational necessity.?But this 뱇imited tolerance of corporal punishment? has sometimes led to 뱕iolence in full force.?lt;br>
Corporal punishment has long been used as an educational means throughout the world, with each country enforcing a different kind of law. In principle, most European countries ban all kinds of corporal punishment. In the United States, each state has its own discretion. Some countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, tolerate corporal punishment within a limited scope in case of necessity.
Supporters of corporal punishment emphasize its educational effect. They stress that with time, students will feel thankful to teachers for it. They also call it the most effective way to control students in overcrowded classrooms.
Opponents think otherwise. They argue corporal punishment has only a temporary effect, and that it doesn뭪 have much educational effect due to its violent nature. They say corporal punishment can never be an educational means, and that violence cannot be justified under any circumstances. They also say that corporal punishment might imbue students with the wrong values.
Opinions are divided over corporal punishment. Thus, we should decide which value we should give priority to. Now is the time we should try to reach a consensus on whether we should tolerate corporal punishment for educational purposes. |
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