Secondary Education Minister prohibits corporal punishment in schools
By Nukapuh P
Cameroon’s minister of Secondary Education has prohibited all forms of corporal punishment in secondary schools across the country.
In a press release dated January 16, 2023, Minister Nalova Lyonga said cases of corporal punishment are becoming frequent in both government and private institutions in the country.
She reiterates that “such a method of punishment is prohibited in the law school milieu as stated in article 5 of law No. 98/004 of 14 April 1998 which lays down guidelines for education in Cameroon,” a section of the press release states.
Minister Nalova reminded teachers and the general public that there are acceptable methods of sanctioning students in the internal rules and regulations of schools.
The Secondary Education minister also warned that sanctions await teachers and schools that will still go ahead to practice such punishment.
“Sanctions will be applied to schools/teachers that will practice such method in punishing students in schools,” another section reads.
This comes after several clashes between students and teachers have been reported lately in the country, which is usually a result of corporal punishment.
In March 2022, a female student of Lycée Ngol Eton, Yaounde was dismissed, after she was involved in a physical squabble with a discipline mistress.
Another squabble between a form 3 student and a mathematics teacher of Lycée Classique Nkolbisson, Yaounde resulted in the death of the teacher in 2020.
