Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on Parent-Teacher communication, and cast your vote by the end of April 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our March 2016 poll was about whether schools should mete out harsh punishments:

School should not mete out harsh punishment to students because the only thing severe consequences reinforce, is a culture of fear.

• I agree. Punishments cause a lot of distress and confusion and are not likely to get children to analyse their behavior. (84%, 42 Votes)

• I disagree. It is necessary to punish students in order to instill discipline. The real world is about living by rules and without serious consequences many students would not follow the law.(16%, 8 Votes)


The majority (84%) of the voters believe that schools should not mete out harsh punishments because they are distressing and confusing. They believe that punishments reinforce a culture of fear and children do not analyse their behavior even after they are punished. On the other hand 16% of the respondents believe that punishments and consequences as a result of breaking rules are part and parcel of the real world and so schools should punish students in order to instill discipline.