THE PLACE OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA IN THE 21ST CENTURY

In the recent past, corporal punishment administration on both primary and secondary school learners was an effective corrective measure for instilling and maintaining discipline among children. This custom was generally accepted by all stakeholders in the education system. Over the years, this practice has been disputed by most legal ministries, employers, and parents who view it as harsh and inhumane. This paper examines the relevance of corporal punishment in secondary schools in Kenya. The paper focuses on the role of corporal punishment in the process of instilling positive values and eradicating vicious personality development among learners. It also examines reasons for the sudden rise in indiscipline cases in schools and rots in society since the prohibition of corporal punishment. Most learners exhibit extreme moral decay in schools and even back home. Most parents have neglected their parental role of raising morally upright children, a burden that is then tossed to the teacher to deal with even when corporal punishment which functioned best at this obligation is out of the equation. Children are left untamed since the teacher who should be the disciplinarian is faced with challenges such as laws on the rights of children, parents’ accusations and insults, employers’ threats of dismissal, and even extreme disrespect by young learners.