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Madam Vera She, rpt She, Volta and Greater-Accra Regional Coordinator of Actionaid- Ghana, on Wednesday challenged teachers and parents to replace corporal punishment with Positive Discipline, as a corrective measure for children.

She said this was because corporal punishment was not promoting the holistic development of children, but was causing high school drop outs.

Positive Discipline is a concept which promotes thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and mutual respect.

It is basically about ensuring healthy child development, and rights of children through effective teaching, coaching and mentoring.

Addressing a workshop on “Positive Discipline” in Ho, aimed at promoting alternative discipline in schools other than corporal punishment, Madam She said reports indicated that a good number of students live with scars from caning, with a some maimed through corporal punishment.

She said studies had also shown that quite a number of school children boycotted or dropped out of school due to caning.

Madam She said Positive Discipline increased students’ motivation, and made them more attentive.

Mr Nathan Ankutse, an Officer at the Volta Regional Education Directorate, said instead of punishing students’ academic or behavioural mistakes, teachers should explain, demonstrate and model concepts and behaviours to be learned.

He said with Positive Discipline, the teacher was a coach, and was only expected to guide the student, and not to impart his knowledge in the student.

“You are not supposed to impart your knowledge in them. Just guide them to learn on their own, and develop their own talents,” Mr Ankutse said.

He said if teachers embraced the concept, students would develop love for learning, which he said was currently lacking in schools.

A survey conducted by the United Nations in 2006 indicated that violence was a common experience in the lives of school children in the world.