Secondary Education Minister, Pauline Nalova Lyonga has reminded teachers and schools of government’s prohibition of corporal punishment as a form of correcting students. Minister Nalova in a January 16, 2023 release said cases of corporal punishment have been more frequent in government and private schools recently.
“She reiterates that such a method of punishment is prohibited in the school milieu as stated in Article 5 of Law No. 98/004 of 14 April 1998 which lays down Guidelines for Education in Cameroon,” she stated.
The rules and regulations of different schools, she said, contain “acceptable and appropriate methods of sanctioning students.”
Sanctions, she warned, will therefore be applied “to schools/teachers that will practise such method of punishing students in schools.”
The aspect of adequate forms of punishment in schools continues to be a controversial subject in Cameroon. In 2022, it again came under scrutiny by many given a rise in violent and deviant behaviour in schools across the country, including stabbings, drug consumption and orgies by students.
Addressing the phenomenon, at a symposium on violence in schools in December 2022, Minister Nalova said “school violence spares no education stakeholder…” She also stressed on the need to be strict and expel any students caught engaging in acts of violence.
Poise News Desk
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