Now that a state of emergency has been declared in Rivers, shall we also declare the same in our educational system or perhaps have a closer look at what is going on between the students and teachers?

The students now beat their teachers, especially now that they know the authorities has declared to the teachers, ‘Do not flog them.’ Mind you, I am not advocating for flogging students. However, we should understand our system, our peculiarities as a people, and what works for us. ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child,’ so says the religious books.

“In part because of love for the outdoors, Buhari was a reluctant student in his early years. He would often skip school altogether, although this always resulted in beatings with a cane by the schoolmaster.” this was written about former president Muhammadu Buhari, by John Paden, a professor of international studies, in his book, ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria.’ In essence, even the most powerful at one time were once straightened; sometimes, the rod can do the master where the talk failed.

The government did well when it prohibited corporal punishment, suggesting that counselling should be the best measure for students. But I will suggest both work hand in hand because we are yet to get there as it concerns all the necessities to have a functioning system education-wise. Enough counseling units, conducive environment that can cater for these students and their nuances, as faced by the teachers spoken to.

Now the students can beat their teachers, I say again, though not necessarily an order, but when the hands of the educators are crippled, and laws chained them in the name of trying to change the punishment method given to erring students, then indirectly we have chained the hands that should lead them to the right path.

A few weeks ago, in Ago palace, Lagos, a vice principal was alleged to have punched a student in a case of self-defence, (A Vice Principal), I have to pay emphasis.

The vice principal surely would be in some sort of trouble now, but the authorities were not there during the whole issue, and of course, the teacher is like a robot expected to be in charge at all times perfectly.

Again, I am not advocating for violence, but this has a history traceable to what the Nigerian school has become.

That same week closer to where I stay, I witnessed a parent come to school with a cane to flog the teacher who punished her student, who in other words a miscreant to the school; we have also heard cases of students and teachers engaging in fisticuffs; in fact, more recently, a corp member was separated fighting a student in the school, so the question is, the corp member, and others too, do they all hate the children, or are they all not fit to be teachers?

A man once hired thugs to beat up a teacher who punished his child for disturbing the class,  the girl, (15) years, reported to her father who came alongside two thugs with a cutlass, to give the teacher a lesson of his life; what example is such a father laying, who will punish such a father, and when will the government start punishing parents who commit such crimes against teachers too?

Ever since corporal punishment has been banned, not only has the appalling attitude of our students increased, but the duty of the teacher has also become overwhelmingly difficult.

These teachers are expected to be psychologists, a father, a mother, a doctor, a police officer, and a loco parentis as well, yet the way they should do it effectively has fully not been met, neither are the challenges  they are facing, as long as they are paid.

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I am not justifying teachers who, in the process of killing a mosquito, use a sledgehammer or go overboard in carrying out their expected duties; they deserve to be duly punished. But also the root should be tackled, not trying to devise means we don’t have the resources to achieve.

Countries where teachers are not permitted to use the cane have the necessary tools to groom students appropriately; the settings are serene, the teachers are some of the highest paid and we’ll respected, psychologists are always on standby to assess students’ challenges and effective measures to tackle them, teaching is fun there. We are yet to get there in our own country.

Seychelles, Tunisia, Mauritius, South Africa, and Algeria, rounded up by Kenya make the top ten African countries with the best educational system. Yet 84% of kids in South Africa passed through corporal punishment despite its ban as well, according to a 2021 survey, because they understand it is part of their peculiarities as a people. You don’t openly declare and punish teachers who do their job based on what they have been accustomed to from time immemorial and have found to be effective within that stipulated period, too. You indirectly give these children a kind of leverage and morale to disobey their teachers, knowing fully well that nothing would happen.

While many people would disagree with my stance, I had earlier said before that this is not to justify corporal punishment; however, when we copy styles from overseas, do we also copy their standards and forms of development as it concerns education? Oftentimes, because they are paid, we blame all issues on the teachers, but we forget we have neglected them for far too long. And now we are indirectly turning them into slaves of their children.

When a student fails to study, we blame the teacher; when the student fails to pass, we blame the teacher; when the student is unkempt from home, we blame the teacher; when the student is hungry, we blame the teacher; when the student failed to respect basic rules and regulations, we also blame the teacher. Soon we will start blaming the teacher when students decide not to come to school. The teacher is at the mercy of the commission, at the mercy of parents, and now at the mercy of these children you expect them to raise.

More than 40% of students in government schools are not in a conducive environment to learn; their challenges are fundamental that it shoot from home; many from broken homes, and many are maids and housekeepers who found their way in school, thanks to the government’s free education; if not, many of these children would not be in school; little wonder over 13.1 million of Nigerian children are not in school.

Before laws are made concerning teachers’ manner of carrying out their duties, it is appropriate to question some of these teachers and understand what their average day looks like. Maybe we can understand from their perspective too.

One teacher who spoke based on anonymity because of the fear of being looked out for by the government said, “Many students do not have books; are we to get that for them too? They do not stay in class; how long would they continue to cut the grass, or suspend them? The ban of corporal punishment has only increased the negative behaviour of these students even more,” he said unhappily.

While the ban on corporal punishment remains effective, parents should understand that pampering their kids because of the backing they get in the form of a law may not be the way to go; the future of their kids is what we are discussing and, by extension, the future of the country. When these kids grow in the form they are currently going, they remain slaves to the sons and daughters of those who have, through the wealth of all, trained their children to the best standard.

Education is not just about books and pens alone; it is a discipline in every form that works for the Nigerian individual.

Kareem Azeez writes from Lagos, he can be reached through, ([email protected])