School spanking videos outrage UAE residents

Dubai: The emergence of three videos showing teachers thrashing pupils in UAE schools has left the education scene in a state of shock given that corporal punishment is banned in all forms in the UAE.

Gulf News spoke to psychologists, parents, teachers and students in the wake of the incidents and the feedback was unanimous: even if students are disrespectful, teachers should not resort to corporal punishment.

The first video, published on the night of October 13, saw a sixth grader being repeatedly slapped by a teacher in an Ajman school, with the blows landing on the youngster’s head and neck.

Only two days later, another video showing a laboratory assistant kicking and hitting a student in an Al Ain school emerged. It was then followed by a third video two days later, showing a teacher in a Fujairah school punishing a pupil by raining blows to the head.

Dr Saliha Afridi, a clinical psychologist and Managing Director at Lighthouse Arabia, said that being beaten by a teacher can be quiet traumatic for a child because a child trusts the teacher and the abuse is perpetrated by a person supposed to be trustworthy.

“The child will feel powerless, unsafe, and ashamed. It is not only abusive but also a way to embarrass and humiliate a child in front of his peer group.”

All three videos went viral in the country expanding their reach from a handful of students in class to thousands of people, which Dr Saliha said can make the child at the receiving end feel either powerless or powerful. “For some, they might feel that they didn’t have a voice against the teacher, but because of social media their voice will be heard and action will be taken against the teacher. For others, it can make them further feel out of control or powerless because they may not have had a choice in people uploading a video about their experience,” she said.

Arabic teacher Amani Jalbat, who also takes classes on religion, also spoke out against corporal punishment. She said that the teacher is a role model for her students and should not give in to frustration and anger by hitting them in front of the the class.

“I know that children can be ill-mannered but I don’t believe that hitting students does any good for the student or the teacher. We should try to teach students self-discipline and control by leading by example,” she said.

Sara Al Madani, who teaches math at a public school, said she tries to discipline her pupils by restricting their activity during lunch time or by simply talking out things with them. “If it does not work, then I would send them to the principal to take the required action and contact their parents,” she said.

Twelve-year-old Amr Al Khatib said watching the videos of the students being beaten was terrifying. “No matter what the student did, the teacher should not have hit the student like that; he could have ended in the hospital,” he said.

Yousuf Kazooh, 17, said his school has zero tolerance for corporal punishment and when someone does something wrong, they usually get detention. “If their bad behaviour continues, they are either suspended or expelled. Such punishment in my opinion is more effective and is less humiliating,” he said.

Parent Sarab Jameel said she would not hesitate to initiate legal action against a teacher who hit one of her children. “It’s completely unacceptable. There are more appropriate ways to discipline children,” she said.