Mapusa police have reportedly registered a case against a teacher on charges of beating a 12-year-old student of school in Aldona. It is learnt that the teacher allegedly hit the boy on the ear and the student required medical treatment at GMC Hospital in Bambolim. It needs to be noted that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which has come into force with effect from 1 April 2010, prohibits 'physical punishment' and 'mental harassment' under Section 17 and is a punishable offence. Corporal punishment has never been accepted and propagated as a means of transforming a child into a good student. Students should be brought up and educated in a conducive environment of understanding. Unwanted behaviour on the part of a student is an indication that the student needs guidance and not punishment. There have been several such incidents of teachers beating up students that have been reported in Goa in the past. All teachers need to be sensitized about corporal punishment. It would be prudent for teachers to undergo counseling sessions from time to time in order to prevent such loathsome behaviour.
