BUT wants focus on dealing with deviance over calling for end to corporal punishment

The same support given to calls for the abolition of corporal punishment in schools should be given to encouraging students to be on their best behaviour in the island’s institutions of learning.
That was the response of President of the Barbados Union of Teachers Rudy Lovell to recent appeals for an end to corporal punishment, as he noted that the use of that method of discipline was not as widespread as before since other options are being utilised.
On Thursday, a day after Government Parliamentarian Marsha Caddle said she wanted to see corporal punishment abolished, Lovell said the discussion by prominent persons in society must turn to how to stop the deviant behaviour being displayed by schoolchildren.
“While we encourage discourse on this particular issue, and we take that freedom of expression is one of the tenets that we recognise as a union, we want those persons who have the public’s ear to also use it to encourage the children of Barbados to behave themselves,” he said in an interview with Barbados TODAY.
“I cannot recall hearing any one person who is calling for the abolition of corporal punishment saying to those little boys and girls out there that ‘even though corporal punishment is wrong in our eyes, what is also wrong in our eyes is your misbehaving and deviance’.”
While corporal punishment remains on the statute books, Lovell said the BUT has not taken a position on whether or not it should be scrapped, since members have so far not given the union a mandate on the issue.
“Our membership will have to vote on whether they believe it should remain an option or not, but we just want those with the authority to speak to use it to good effect and not to just speak on one particular topic while neglecting the other. We all must work together on this to get the best result for all of society,” he insisted.
(JB)