Corporal Punishment Still Not Tolerated

Ednita Cocom

Since last week, we’ve been reporting on a case of corporal punishment in San Pablo, Orange Walk. It came to a head on Monday when Thais Cowo, the mother of the alleged victim was formally charged and arraigned for harm in the Orange Walk Magistrate Court after she attacked Ednita Cocom, the teacher who inflicted corporal punishment on the Infant Two student.  According to Cowo, she reacted after the teacher reportedly slammed her son’s head into a wall in the classroom. In fact, Cowo says there are previous instances when Cocom hit her son. Now, corporal punishment has been a sticky issue because while it was taken off the books in early 2000, there are some who believe that it must be re-introduced into the education system. Today, News Five asked Minister of Education Patrick Faber about what steps if any the Ministry will take.

Patrick Faber

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“I have not received an official report from our ministry people, but I was in an informal discussion where I know that the matter is being investigated. There are some conflicting bits of information that are coming out to ascertain whether or not the teacher actually issued a corporal punishment. So I am not in a position to comment on what the facts are because we are still sifting through things to find out what those facts are. But I will tell you that the ministry’s position is a zero tolerance for corporal punishment. So if at the end of the day it is found that in fact corporal punishment was utilized by a teacher on a student, that as I said will not be tolerated and the ministry will move on that.”