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Irish Schools use of corporal punishment

  • 12-08-2007 8:17pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭


    I am researching this topic and am looking for any information, or pointers to sources. Information about how widespread its use was, information on frequency and the affect of school type, , geographic location, religion gelder and class.
    I am looking for information from the foundation of the state up to its abolition and particularly the devided vies of the general population on the matter.

    Thanks


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭Snickers Man


    Different schools had different regimes, in my experience.

    When in primary school, with one teacher who basically took the class for all or nearly all subjects, it was down to the individual teacher himself as to what he did. He could (in my day it was always a he) pretty much do as he liked. The guy that taught me for five years went through periods of using a plank to whack you on the arse to using a cane on the fingers.

    One of the secondary schools I went to had a "dean of discipline" who was the only one allowed to belt people with a strap. Individual teachers could send a miscreant to the dean to be "biffed". In practice, this was too much hassle so they used alternative means of punishment, eg lines or essay writing.

    i much preferred being whacked and getting it over with myself.

    Never did me any harm. :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,165 ✭✭✭✭brianthebard


    Whats the project for? It could be interesting (if you have to space and time) to stretch it out to begin with the formation of schools in Ireland. I know there are documents available (if you do a bit of digging) which deal with this subject from the mid 1800s.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,822 ✭✭✭✭silverharp


    Different schools had different regimes, in my experience.

    When in primary school, with one teacher who basically took the class for all or nearly all subjects, it was down to the individual teacher himself as to what he did. He could (in my day it was always a he) pretty much do as he liked. The guy that taught me for five years went through periods of using a plank to whack you on the arse to using a cane on the fingers.

    One of the secondary schools I went to had a "dean of discipline" who was the only one allowed to belt people with a strap. Individual teachers could send a miscreant to the dean to be "biffed". In practice, this was too much hassle so they used alternative means of punishment, eg lines or essay writing.

    i much preferred being whacked and getting it over with myself.

    Never did me any harm. :D


    Sounds like Michael's, Roysh!

    A belief in gender identity involves a level of faith as there is nothing tangible to prove its existence which, as something divorced from the physical body, is similar to the idea of a soul. - Colette Colfer



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 66 ✭✭ShotgunPaddy


    I "got the stick" in both primary and secondary. It was needed then and it's needed now.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,127 ✭✭✭Jackie laughlin


    Irish schools were subject to Dept. Memorandum rather than an Education Act. This memorandum is still in force and still in print, though beating children has been made illegal.

    The memorandum is quite specific, saying that physical punishment should be administered with a light cane or strap, that it should be reserved for exceptionally bad behaviour, that each incidence of its use should be logged, and that it should NEVER be administered for failure at lessons.

    As is apparent from this that the mass child abuse which took place was illegal and contrary to the rules laid down by government.

    You might also look at the Dail record, searching under Dr. Noel Brown, who raised the matter frequently.

    Incidentally those who reckon that it never did them any harm are clearly the worst affected by it. It has robbed them of their sense of right and wrong, their dignity and rightous indignation.


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