The use of corporal punishment in schools was outlawed in 1996.
Lesufi made the suggestion at a meeting after a teacher told a pupil’s granny she “did not like coloureds”.
In a video recorded by Priya Ranchod, a journalist from Eldorado Times, Lesufi responded to a question about whether there is a way to bring discipline back in schools by saying: “When you say discipline, you say the cane.
“Let’s be honest, you are putting it nicely. It’s the cane, and I say if government is a government of the people, it must listen to the people.
“I am saying we passed the law [outlawing corporal punishment] because we had a vision of pupils who are well-behaved. We never thought we will have these kinds of pupils when the law was passed.
“I am for the strong review of that. I know I differ with many people, I differ with human rights people. If you can’t install the authority of the teacher, you have no education.”
Faranaaz Veriava, head of education at Section27, called suggestions to bring back corporal punishment “extremely disappointing”
“We know the ban was premised on moving from a culture of authoritarianism to a culture where the rights of every human being, including the rights to be free of physical harm, would be respected.
“Our concern is that where pupils are corporally punished, they are often severely harmed and injured. There’s a lot of literature and training mechanisms for ensuring discipline in the classroom,” she said.
TimesLIVE readers weighed in on the debate, with 73% saying they are in support of a review of the corporal punishment laws.
What you said about whether corporal punishment should be reviewed
Image: 123RF/prazis
Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi’s call for a “strong review” of corporal punishment laws has people talking.
The use of corporal punishment in schools was outlawed in 1996.
Lesufi made the suggestion at a meeting after a teacher told a pupil’s granny she “did not like coloureds”.
In a video recorded by Priya Ranchod, a journalist from Eldorado Times, Lesufi responded to a question about whether there is a way to bring discipline back in schools by saying: “When you say discipline, you say the cane.
“Let’s be honest, you are putting it nicely. It’s the cane, and I say if government is a government of the people, it must listen to the people.
“I am saying we passed the law [outlawing corporal punishment] because we had a vision of pupils who are well-behaved. We never thought we will have these kinds of pupils when the law was passed.
“I am for the strong review of that. I know I differ with many people, I differ with human rights people. If you can’t install the authority of the teacher, you have no education.”
Faranaaz Veriava, head of education at Section27, called suggestions to bring back corporal punishment “extremely disappointing”
“We know the ban was premised on moving from a culture of authoritarianism to a culture where the rights of every human being, including the rights to be free of physical harm, would be respected.
“Our concern is that where pupils are corporally punished, they are often severely harmed and injured. There’s a lot of literature and training mechanisms for ensuring discipline in the classroom,” she said.
TimesLIVE readers weighed in on the debate, with 73% saying they are in support of a review of the corporal punishment laws.
They also weighed in with comments.
TimesLIVE
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READ MORE:
LISTEN | On a hiding to nothing: Lesufi drops corporal punishment bombshell, backs ‘strong review’
TOM EATON | Who disciplines the whip-cracker, Lesufi? And that’s just the start of it
EDITORIAL | Corporal punishment is archaic and does more harm than good
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