Caning children is a dangerous idea; it could ignite violence 

By TEE NGUGI

Fred Matiang’i, Kenya’s security minister, is normally more thoughtful than many of his colleagues in Cabinet. His leadership style is firm yet consultative.

He leads but creates a sense of collegiality. He is proactive rather than reactive. He has a persuasive manner as opposed to bull-in-a-China shop bullying style. He is a strategic thinker, not the knee-jerk types who dominate Kenya’s officialdom. He tries to change office culture and attitude of officials in his docket. These qualities were most in evidence when he was the Education minister.

So, it was shocking to see him jump on the bandwagon of the campaign to bring back caning in schools as a way of re-establishing discipline. This campaign comes in the wake of a resurgence of burning of schools by students.

In 2015, Jacob Kaimenyi, then Education minister, after professorial reflection, concluded that the reason for the arsons was the anxiety caused by mock exams.

Other reasons proffered were vexatious half-term break, and the terrible influence of parental visits to children in boarding school. How these were determined to be factors fuelling school arson remains Kaimenyi’s secret.

Mock exams are part of practical and psychological preparation for the main exam. The mock exam helps students and teachers to gauge areas of weakness and take corrective measures before the real exam. Half-term break is a release valve. Students are able to go home and exhale, and recharge their psychological and other batteries.

Another solution being suggested is abolishing boarding schools. Is this a solution? Will students not start burning their day schools or their buses, or nearby markets and kiosks? This suggestion is as foolish as arguing that we should abolish banks in order to stop bank robberies.

Furthermore, boarding schools provide safe havens where students can concentrate on school activities as opposed to having to deal with the logistical nightmare of travelling daily to and from school on our chaotic roads. Boarding schools also remove students, especially those from poorer neighbourhoods, from criminal influences. Also, girls are prone to falling pregnant during long periods at home.

Caning children is not only a dangerous practice, it could also lead to escalation of violence. It is dangerous because when caning was part of disciplinary measures, we had numerous cases of children being permanently maimed or even killed. Caning can also lead to revenge attacks on teachers. More fundamentally, caning would be directly or indirectly unconstitutional.

The solution to burning of schools is treating these cases as egregious criminal acts.

Nothing can be more criminal than burning a school and putting hundreds of students’ lives at risk. It is an act in the same category as terrorism. Culprits should be barred from ever attending a school in Kenya and appropriate jail terms handed down. A consistent application of this tough stance would eliminate the nonsense in two years flat.

Tee Ngugi is a Nairobi-based political commentator​