Taught to fear: Corporal punishment in the classroom

In Kenya, corporal punishment in schools has been banned for over twenty years, yet young students are being beaten by their teachers on a daily basis, and the consequences can be fatal. In the last five years alone, it’s believed more than 20 children have died at the hands of their teachers.

In this week’s Assignment, BBC Africa Eye’s Tom Odula, whose own school years were marked by brutal and degrading treatment at the hands of teachers, goes on a journey to investigate the extent of the problem and what can be done to address it.

He speaks to young victims who bear the scars of vicious beatings, to families who are seeking justice for their children who have reportedly been beaten, one of whom died - and to teachers who have turned their back on the cane and are now trying to spread the message that violence in the classroom is wrong.
Through all of this, Tom asks the question, why is this happening, and what is being done to protect the most innocent in our society?

Reporter: Tom Odula
Producer: Chris Alcock and Rebecca Henschke
Africa Eye Editor: Tom Watson
Assignment Editor: Penny Murphy

(Image: Kenyan child looks out of a school window. Credit: BBC Africa Eye)