Source: Hindustan Times
New Delhi, February 2, 2001: Though it has been two months since corporal punishment was banned by the Delhi Court, some teachers and parents still hold to the adage, “spare the rod and spoil the child.” According to a study by psychiatrists Dr. Samir Parikh and Geeta Kapoor, 80 percent of the 1,000 public school students surveyed reveal that the teachers still resort to “physical or severe punishment.” Only one out of ten schools has a counselor on their rolls even though it is now compulsory. Counselors not only help the child with academic related anxiety but also personal problems. Dr. Parikh believes that corporal punishment may lead to psychiatric illnesses like obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It increases the tendency for aggressiveness and violent behavior. In children approaching adolescence the sexual instincts are more pronounced, which might lead to an increased tendency toward aggressiveness and violence if aggravated through physical punishment. One also needs to take a sympathetic look at teachers who are put under great pressure to produce high grades. “Whether we like it or not, the quality of teachers as well as parenting has gone down,” adds Dr. Parikh.