BuaNews (Tshwane)
Themba Gadebe
22 August 2007
Cape Town — A new manual is set to help teachers find alternative methods to deal with disruptive and unruly children, as opposed to corporal punishment.
The document is produced by the Education Management and Development Centre (EMDC) and its main objective is to provide for the effective management of healthy and positive discipline.
Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore, has lauded its production and said officials in his department will work with the district office to find a way of further developing the manual to make it available as a resource and tool for all schools in the province.
"Each school will receive a copy and a CD with the information in all three languages," he said.
Key features include ways to develop, implement and maintain a supportive and restorative Code of Conduct for learners.
It explains the duties and responsibilities of role payers such as principals, learners and parents and looks at the establishment of support systems to deal with learner offences.
These include bullying, anger management, conflicts and other behaviour problems.
The manual contains pamphlets on 15 different topics and is developed so that important additional information can be added to build up a school portfolio on school discipline.
Principals, deputies and teachers will be introduced to the manual, while training and support of teachers will take place over three years.
The producers of the manual highlighted the plight of teachers when dealing with learners' as the critical problem.
EMDC North Director Barry Volschenk said that learner behaviour problems had, for years been a major concern for teachers, administrators and parents.
"More than ever before, teachers are faced with critical problems in their classrooms, and are confronted on a daily basis with unacceptable learner behaviour and threatening situations.
"After the abolishment of the old system of corporal punishment and control, an urgent need arose to deal with behavioural issues in innovative ways," Mr Volschenk said.
In June 1995 corporal punishment was ruled as unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates the right not to be treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way.
Mr Volschenk described the new approach to behavioural support as one representing a shift from a focus on deficit and control, towards a developmental and restorative approach.
MEC Dugmore noted the importance of involving parents on disciplinary issues.
"In situations involving learner disciplinary issues we often tend to focus our solution-seeking efforts on the child and we neglect the needs of the parents and educators," he said.
The MEC said as a result of the abolishment of corporal punishment, many teachers suddenly felt confused, frustrated, and resigned themselves to be without power as they had only known one method of discipline.
"Children have become aware of their rights and they have started to test the boundaries of discipline to the extreme," said the MEC.
He suggested that perhaps the behaviour of learners had worsened because force and physical coercion were seen as a form of "authority" and the only way of asserting oneself for centuries.
"A lot of it has to do with the history of our country and how it has shaped the daily lives of men, women and families," the MEC said
"I think this document provides an excellent framework for the establishment of structures in schools for the effective management of healthy, positive discipline. I'm happy that it is in all three languages (Xhosa, Afrikaans and English)."
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