THE USE OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT TO MANAGE LEARNERS’ DISCIPLINE IN LESOTHO HIGH SCHOOLS

Abstract

Lesotho, being a signatory to international and continental conventions such as theConventions on the Rights of a Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children has a mandate to protect children‟s rights. Asa result, Lesotho abolished corporal punishment in schools in order to comply with the above-mentioned conventions. The abolition of corporal punishment occurred when the culture and traditions of the country seem to contradict the international culture of rights. This study used Bronfenbrenner‟s Bio-ecological theory todetermine the contextual factors that appear to sustain the use of corporal punishment in managing discipline in high schools in Lesotho.Thestudy employedmixed methods approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents and head-teachers, a questionnaire was completed by teachers and focus group discussions were conductedwith learners. Qualitative data were analysed using interpretative-phenomenological data analysis while quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (v 20).The results from both qualitative and quantitative data revealed that corporal punishment is rife in the high-schools in Lesotho. The parents and head-teachers are aware of the use of corporal punishment in schools, but turn a blind eye on it because they believe in its effectiveness. Corporal punishment is used in violation of school rules and regulations. It is used for social and academic reasons and by both male and female teachers as well as science and language teachers. Injuries on learners are common in the application of corporal punishment, but both the teachers and learners regard them as minor. Corporal punishment was found to persist in Lesotho high schools because parents, teachers, head-teachers and learners regard it positively. Whileparents and learners lack knowledge of the law that abolished corporal punishment, the Ministry of Education and Training fails to monitor the implementation of the law. Basotho culture appears to sustain the use of corporal punishment in the high schools ofLesotho whereinproverbs are employedto justifyits application on students. The head-teachers and the learners found it difficult to visualise their schools without the use of thecanehence advocate for a reasonable use of corporal punishment. This study recommends that communication focusing on the meting out of corporal punishment be initiated at all social levels such as the family and media.Both pre- and in-service training on the alternatives to corporal punishmentshould be conducted for teachers. The Ministry of Education and Training needs to monitor the implementation of the laws and discipline teachers who breach the laws.