Corporal Punishment In Schools Is Illegal!

Corporal punishment is not only banned in all schools but it is an illegal act so the teacher who reportedly hit eight-year-old Anthony Adolphus committed a crime.  Anthony, a student at Queens Square Anglican School in Belize City, says that his teacher hit him in the eye with a yard ruler. He was told to have his mother visit the school but when Celida Lamb presented herself, she was given the run-around. Until today, she has not been able to receive an explanation from the school’s administration as to what transpired on January sixteenth. She has made a report to the police but officers have not acted, telling Lamb that the school’s protocol does not allow them to. She also took the matter to the Ministry of Education but has yet to see the matter addressed. Today, we got a comment from President of the B.N.T.U. Elena Smith on the matter.

Senator Elena Smith, President, B.N.T.U

Senator Elena Smith

 “Well, the rules are very clear. We often say to our teachers that we have to abide by the rules. As a union, we cannot condone wrongdoing. We are here to support our teachers to ensure the process that is taken to address the matters or to discipline our teachers that that process is the right one, that the teacher is given a fair chance to respond to any allegations or any charge that may be levied against the teacher. But for us to go there and say that you can’t do this to a child, we can’t do that because the rules are very clear. Corporal punishment is illegal. That teacher is not a member so she has not come to us for advice or assistance because I suppose she knows that she is not a member. However, her rep has informed that that was the case and the matter would have been dealt with via the management and the parent and that the parent would have taken the matter to court.”