Balochistan bans corporal punishment in public, private schools

QUETTA: The Balochistan government has banned corporal punishment in all public and private schools across the province, warning that teachers and school administrators who violate the directive will face disciplinary and legal action.

In a notification issued on Friday, the Directorate of Education (Schools) said that incidents of corporal punishment and other degrading disciplinary practices continued to be reported from some educational institutions despite existing directives prohibiting such practices.

The directorate said that corporal punishment was unlawful, harmful to the physical, mental and emotional well-being of children and inconsistent with the government’s child protection policy and the right to education.

The notification reiterated that corporal punishment in any form was prohibited in all public and private schools under the Balochistan Child Protection Act, 2016, the Balochistan Compulsory Education Act, 2014, Article 25-A of Pakistan’s Constitution and the country’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

It said that corporal punishment included slapping, beating, caning or striking students with the hand or any object, pulling hair or ears, pushing, kicking, pinching, forcing students into painful or humiliating positions, and verbal abuse, intimidation or other degrading treatment that could cause physical or psychological harm.

The directorate directed all heads of educational institutions, district education officers, private school owners and teaching staff to ensure that no teacher, administrator or staff member subjected students to corporal punishment or humiliating treatment.

Schools have been instructed to adopt positive, child-friendly and non-violent disciplinary practices, immediately investigate and report complaints of corporal punishment, conduct awareness sessions for teachers, parents and students on children’s rights and positive discipline, and maintain complaint registers to record and address allegations of child abuse or corporal punishment.

The notification said any violation of the directive would be treated seriously and could result in disciplinary proceedings against government employees under the Balochistan Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules.

Private schools found violating the ban could also face action under the Balochistan Private Educational Institutions (Registration, Regulation and Promotion) Act, 2022, and related rules, it said.

The directorate instructed district education officers, divisional directors and private school associations to ensure the directive was implemented across the province.