Corporal punishment is now banned in all school in Seoul under revised regulation devised by liberal Seoul education chief Kwak No-hyun. But teachers complained that they are not ready for the changed and many are still confused by the new system. In this moment, we need to discuss whether the physical punishment right or not.
First of all, supporters for corporal punishment argued that an advanced education system will materialized by prohibiting the corporal punishment. However, I think it intensifies the confusion related to the enforcement of corporal punishment because it is not a good solution to the problem of corporal punishment. According to a survey conducted by Jung-ang Newspaper, over 90 percentages of teachers insisted that school order is going to collapse and over 50% percentage of teachers have suffered from students who have a disobedient attitude in the classroom. How can teachers control these kinds of students without powerful ways? In fact, Korea historically has used corporal punishment as a way of teaching of control when students get into wrong way. It is not simply for punishing students. By giving pain to the body, students can understand what they did wrong and get lessons from experience. The best example is founded in Buddhism. When people are converted to Buddhism, they cauterize their skin with incense. In addition, whenever believers in Buddhism have a disorderly mind, they hit their shoulders with sticks. Through this method, they can clear their mind. Since the problem of corporal punishment has arisen from the wrong perception of corporal punishment, the best solution is that the teachers related to misuse of corporal punishment are punished to gain a better perception of corporal punishment and to gain awareness.
Second, if these punishments disappear, we need alternative in managing these matters. Naturally, there is a large range of opinions on which rewards and punishments should be given according certain actions. Rewards and punishments which have been used thus far have coexisted with chastising. In the past, students are encouraged for their virtue and scolding lightly for their wrong doings. However, the ways which are already in use to control behavior have disappeared.
There remains one thing that could put control back in the hand of teachers. The school regulations, rewards & punishments system could guarantee right of teachers and it will be enhanced due to student control. Surely students who are suspended, dismissed from school or do volunteer work will increase. Why? It will be restrained from rewards & punishments system which are enhanced than ever. As time passes, the atmosphere in the class could be better from paying attention to what students need. However, I think these changes could promote a stable atmosphere at school but also students who are prejudiced against by school and society could be more alien.
In conclusion, the atmosphere of education in other countries such as the U.S is totally different from Korea. For example, the U.S does not have a polite verve. So, lectures are produced with free discussion equally. However, as the old saying goes in Korea “Students should not step on teacher’s shadow.” This shows how particular the Korean education system is. Actually, teachers are expected to teach students with a warm heart but corporal punishment is one of the education methods in Korea. The problem is caused not corporal punishment itself but by mistaken authoritarianism. Thus, the first priority is given to seek a solution which can change this mistaken authoritarianism. If we do not provide an institutional solution, it will bring about a new social problem. Also, I think it is almost impossible to guide students who feel left out from the former education system. Consequently, we should pay more attention to how can we compensate for corporal punishment, seeking a suitable education system not fragmentary restrictions.
Dept. of Business