'Does punishment fit crime?' | Zambia Daily Mail

CHILDREN?S CORNER with PANIC CHILUFYA
RECENTLY, while browsing on a social networking site, I came across an appeal for signatures against the expulsion of three girls at a school in Southern Province for being in possession of cellphones, which are prohibited. Two other girls in examination classes were suspended until their final examinations.
And in Monday?s edition of the Zambia Daily Mail, a writer said a mobile phone is no longer a luxury but a means of communication so long as it is not misused. He further called for comments regarding the use of phones in secondary schools.
In relation to the expulsions, I was interested to read what people had to say. Most of those who posted comments thought that although the girls had broken school rules, the punishment was excessive, especially that expulsions would affect the girls? future.
I am sure this is happening in other schools elsewhere. Much as parents sign contract forms that pupils will abide by the rules, the punishment should fit the crime and should be used to reform, because every action has consequences.
In 2011, about 22 pupils, mainly grade 12s, went through various forms of punishment at a boarding school on the Copperbelt for having been found with mobile phones in their rooms. Initially, the girls were suspended and sent home for two weeks while their classmates were learning. Later, when their classmates went home for mid-term break, the 22 reported back and immediately commenced manual work for ten days as part of the prolonged punishment.
Furthermore, the girls were not allowed to braid their hair for the rest of the year (as is the practice, grade 12 pupils were allowed to braid their hair being seniors), the prefects, among the 22 ,had their prefect ship withdrawn and their mobile phones confiscated and sold by the school.
Some parents felt the punishment was excessive given that most of the pupils had their mobile phones as a means of communicating with their families, especially when travelling to and from school as most of them used public transport. The only other mode of communication allowed was letter writing, whose replies were frequently withheld. For example, a letter from Lusaka would take about two months to reach a pupil. Furthermore, school phones were only used for ?emergencies? as deemed fit by the administration.
Although the pupils broke school rules, depriving them from learning and meting out other forms of punishments defeated the purpose of them being there, especially that the mobile phones were ?used? outside learning school hours.
Like one of the contributors in the earlier case said:
Schools should be in the business of building, not destroying. Let this be an opportunity for these young ladies to learn that there are consequences to not following rules?however, this punishment is extreme. Everybody deserves a second chance.
A cellphone is now a necessity even for children and they are supposed to just come up with rules as to when the students can use their phones?The expelled students must be re-instated at all costs. It is unacceptable for a school founded on Christian values to kill the future of the girls over a mobile phone.
Technology today has surpassed pen and paper, chalk and board. When will we as educators wake up and open our eyes and minds and embrace the younger generation?s needs, ideas and skills.
It is irrational to think pupils always use mobile phones for mischief because phones can also be used positively as calculators, stop watches or cameras to record schoolwork. Phones can work as alarms for study purposes or to search the internet, an increasingly important tool in education. To ensure the development of digital literacy regardless of the age, there are a lot of benefits in this digital age, which is driven by ever-changing technologies.
If adults, while working, can use mobile phones for social reasons, pupils as our future leaders should also be trusted to make their own decisions with necessary guidance regarding the responsible use of these gadgets in schools.
It is imperative that the Ministry of Education comes up with a standard form of punishment for erring pupils as opposed to the current situation where individual schools determine what punishment to mete out. Punishment is supposed to reform pupils instead of disadvantaging them in the future.
To avoid such occurrences, schools should also make it conducive for pupils, especially those in boarding, to feel that they are at home away from home. For instance, schools could set up monitored payphones at stipulated times to enable pupils keep in touch with their families without having to use unauthorised ways.
I am sure most parents would be willing to contribute to such progressive ventures because pupils get homesick, and families are equally keen to know how the children are faring when they are away from home. Such initiatives would definitely put an end to mobile phones being smuggled into institutions of learning, especially boarding schools. This is prudent, especially that some boarding schools are like mini-prisons, where pupils cannot be easily seen other than on designated days, which builds up anxiety in pupils to communicate with their families at all costs.
You do not need to use a rifle to kill a fly. The moral of this is that every offence should go with the appropriate punishment. In the case of these pupils, expulsion is certainly not appropriate. There are other forms of reformative punishment befitting this offence.
Remember, children are our future. Until next week, take care.
pchilufya@daily-mail.co.zm; pcmalawochilufya@yahoo.com or gender@daily-mail.co.zm.

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Source: http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/features/15481

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