Corporal Punishment
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has stressed the need to eliminate all forms of corporal punishment practiced in schools. The NCPCR has issued guidelines on 9th August, 2007 and additional guidelines on 26th May 2009 to the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations/District Administrations for banning corporal punishment in schools and making the teachers, teaching staff and school managements aware about the same.The Minister of Women & Child Development Smt. Krishna Tirath revealed this in Lok Sabha recently.
The Minister stated that Pursuant to the recommendations/guidelines dated 9th August, 2007 made by NCPCR, the then Secretary, School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resources Development had issued letters on 17th December 2007 to the Chief Secretaries of all States/Union Territories for prohibiting corporal punishment in all schools under their jurisdiction and to amend the relevant School Education Act or Rules, if necessary. Further, Section 17 (1) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 provides that no child shall be subjected to physical punishment or mental harassment.
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DK/BS