Father urges to protect his children from corporal punishment in Punjab’s school

Islamabad: Muhammad Bilal s/o Muhammad Nawaz has sent a request email to the Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) for helping his children (Muhammad Ummar and Maria Bilal) and all other children `of the vicinity to be protected from brutal torture of teachers of Hamid Minhaj Model School, Taliri Muzaffargarh (Punjab- Pakistan). When contacted with Bilal on the given cell number (which he had shared in the email), he told that teachers have brutally tortured his two children (Muhammad Ummar and Maria Bilal) with sticks on legs and hands, and with slaps on face. It is not only common treatment of teachers with his children but all children of the vicinity are victims of the brutality of teachers. He also shared that day before yesterday (On 1st July 2013) his son had missed the school, for which, his teacher had hit 10 times on his both hands with a stick and his son was unable to open his hands then. Bilal also shared that teachers jointly beat children by holding them by their legs and arms and hit them on their hips. They have arranged special sticks having plastic pipes on these sticks. Bilal also said that he and many other residents (parents) of the vicinity have complained with the head teacher M. Hamid Afzal and M. Noor Afzal about such cruel treatment of teachers with children but they have turned a deaf ear to the matter. Moreover, Bilal shared that in every summer vacations these teachers open school for giving tuitions to the same children (from 6 to 11am in the morning hours), for which, these teachers charge extra money/fees from children and those children who do not attend these summer tuition classes, they face wrath of teachers when once summer vacations are completed. Bilal asked the ISJ to forward his complaint to the relevant authorities. The ISJ had sent request letters to the District & Sessions Judge Muzaffargrah, but yet not actions are taken. The ISJ requests Chief Minister Punjab for looking into this matter so that these children should be treated humanely because they are our future, they are humans, they have dignity, they have respect, and they have the right to protected from all kinds of abuse and violence, which is their fundamental right. Your good office may conduct an inquiry of the matter and if proven may ask their parental education department to give these teachers exemplary punishments. Your good office may also ask the relevant department to form/constitute school management committees in each school in Muzaffargarh comprising of community people, students, teachers and NGO workers. Besides improving other things they must monitor teachers’ attitude toward students and take actions against cases of cruel treatment with children. In addition to above, your government may enact pending bill on the prohibition of corporal punishment so that a big number of children should not leave school due to brutality of teachers and staff members.