Action for Intervention and Management or AIM cautions teachers against child beating at school as a way of disciplining them.
Executive Director, David De Dau during a three-day workshop for teachers on how to handle traumatized children, says many kids or South Sudanese in general are traumatized.
He says beating children is not the right way to discipline them.
‘We are cautioning our teachers that child beating is not a solution. A child needs to be given an opportunity to be listened to, and you listen to the child. So that you are able to be on the same wavelength in terms of agreeing and guiding that child towards the right direction. Most of the teachers resolve to beating learners and beating a child makes the matter worst in some cases. Let children be given the opportunity to learn and give them an environment for them to talk what they have seen and what their feelings are, so that you are able to guide them well”, he stressed.
One of the facilitators, Bosco Mwesigye also discourages beating of pupils because it instead traumatizes them more.
He urges teachers to handle learners with kindness, love and compassion.
‘You need to know what is traumatizing them. So when you deal with them, you show them that you are with them in the situation they are in at that time. You have to be empathetic. You show kindness and love. Because when you don’t show them love, you will be adding them trauma. Some of the teachers engage in corporal punishment. Here, you’re worsening the situation in which your child is. It may even make the child to run out of school”. Mwesigye explains.
The participants appreciate AIM for organizing the workshop and say they will put into practice the knowledge gained during the course.
AIM organized the workshop with support from Oranto Petroleum Company.