One year after a Ban on Corporal Punishment in Schools was introduced, the benefits of the policy are borne out by the statistics.

• School registration has increased and attendance has improved

• Children’s academic results have improved

• Teachers have learned alternative methods of classroom management

Mohammed Ismail Faruque got involved with Save the Children Australia in April 2003. He was just one of the local community who had shown interest in working with children. Mr Faruque is a businessman and the Vice Chairman of the Management Committee of “Hamidia Ideal Primary School”. Many of our Child Council members are students of this school.

Gradually, Mr Faruque became a supporter of Child Development Activities under the CARD project (Child Access to Rights through Development). Save the Children selected him as a Community Resource Person (CRP) in June 2003 and he subsequently participated in a child rights training course in September 2003. Before the course, like many members of Bangladesh society, Ismail was a firm believer in corporal punishment as a method of controlling children and as valuable tool for disciplining students. He used it at home with his own children and did not object to its application at school.

After the training he was inspired to ban corporal punishment in education and took an initiative to stop punishment in the school.

He had series of discussions with fellow Committee members, with teachers, parents and community leaders and the children in the school - and plans were put in place to eliminate corporal punishment. About a year ago, the school became a ‘corporal punishment free zone’. However, the campaign was not without resistance. It was difficult at first to convince both parents and teachers of the benefits of the approach. As a result of this initiative, the School Managing Committee decided that this school will be free of physical punishment. One teacher refused to accept the change in policy and was transferred to another school.

The school principal and the Management Committee monitor the discipline in the school. The children report that they are happy to be in school and are not afraid of being beaten.

One year after a Ban on Corporal Punishment in Schools was introduced, the benefits of the policy are borne out by the statistics.

• School registration has increased and attendance has improved

• Children’s academic results have improved

• Teachers have learned alternative methods of classroom management

Save the Children was very excited by what had been achieved and supported the Management Committee in its attempts to share the lessons learnt. The Chairperson of the School Management Committee was selected the Best School Management Committee Chairperson and subsequently received an award.

After receiving the award the school organised a seminar on the Elimination of Corporal Punishment from the school with the help of Save the Children Australia which was widely attended. Teachers, School Management Committee members, the Director and Education Officers of Primary School Education Directorate, Local Administration of Bangladesh Government, civil society, journalists and other members of the media, parents, guardian committee members, the Chairperson of Chittagong Zila Child Council Chairman and some students of the school all attended. The objective of the Seminar was to share the techniques and tactics used in stopping corporal punishment.

The committee has been highlighted as an ideal and model School Management Committee in Bangladesh. During National Education Week observations by the Bangladesh Government, the Prime Minister of the Government People’s Republic of Bangladesh awarded the Committee as the Best School Management Committee in Bangladesh.

Find out more about Save the Children's work in Bangladesh here: http://www.savethechildren.net/australia/where_we_work/bangladesh/bangladesh.html