Corporal punishment: Pain behind classroom walls

CHILD psychologist Jean Piaget once wrote, “What is most essential in the child is not perfection, but possibility.” Yet the recent incidents in Himachal Pradesh show how the possibility of a child’s emotional growth is crushed when punishment becomes cruelty. The viral cases from Rohru and Chamba have exposed an uncomfortable truth — our schools, meant to nurture, are sometimes scarring the very children they are built to protect.

In Rohru subdivision of Shimla district, a shocking video surfaced from Government Primary School, Gawana. In this disturbing clip, the head-teacher stripped a Class V student of his shirt and beat him with a prickly bush. The child, belonging to a Nepalese migrant family, stood helpless as other children watched in silence. The humiliation did not stop there. In another complaint from the area, a teacher reportedly placed a stinging nettle inside a child’s pants, causing intense pain. At Government Primary School, Khaddapana, in the same subdivision, a Class 1 student suffered bleeding from his ear after a volunteer teacher allegedly pulled it with excessive force. These incidents reflect not only misconduct but also a systemic failure of safeguarding mechanisms.

In Chamba district, a primary schoolgirl was allegedly beaten brutally because she could not write correctly on the blackboard. Her bruises became evidence on her small body and shocking claims emerged that the teacher pressured her parents to remain silent. Such incidents are not isolated — they represent a pattern of unacceptable disciplinary extremes that are slowly being exposed because children, parents and eyewitnesses now have the courage to post videos online. Social media acts as a mirror, showing society what it often prefers to avoid.

Why is this happening? At the root lies a blend of outdated disciplinary beliefs, emotional frustration among teachers, overcrowded classrooms and the lack of training in child-centred pedagogy. Many teachers still consider physical punishment a traditional method of control. Some experience burnout, struggling with administrative pressure, staff shortages and their own unresolved stress, which erupts in the classroom. Child psychologist Erik Erikson warned, “When adults break a child’s spirit in anger, they fracture the foundation of self-trust.” This quote perfectly reflects what happens when punishment becomes rage rather than correction.

Another major reason is the absence of strict accountability in rural and remote schools. Even though the Right to Education (RTE) Act Section 17 explicitly prohibits any kind of physical or mental harassment of students, implementation remains inconsistent. The law clearly states that no child shall be subjected to corporal punishment and that disciplinary action must follow against violators. But on the ground, violations are often ignored until something goes viral.

The communication gap between the parents and the teachers, combined with fear of retaliation, further deepens the silence around these abuses.

The psychological repercussions on children are profound. Many victims, who face such brutality, withdraw silently, develop fear of school, struggle to focus and lose confidence. The invisible trauma lasts far longer than the physical marks. These children internalise the idea that violence is a normal reaction to mistakes, a dangerous belief that shapes their future relationships and self-worth. Instead of fostering curiosity or creativity, fear becomes the central emotion in their education.

Himachal Pradesh has historically been known for its strong literacy culture and peaceful academic environment but these incidents force a reconsideration of what lies beneath the surface. Schools must urgently introduce counselling mechanisms, teacher-training workshops, anger-management sessions and child-sensitive disciplinary guidelines. Education departments must establish fast-response units to investigate complaints swiftly. Parents should be encouraged to report misconduct without fear and teachers must remember that their role is to guide — not to intimidate.

Children deserve compassionate discipline, not cruelty masked as correction. The classroom should be a space where mistakes become opportunities for growth, not causes for humiliation. The state must take these incidents as a collective wake-up call: protecting a child’s dignity is not optional — it is a legal, moral and human obligation.

(The writer is an educationalist.)