AMAMIHE Journal of Applied Philosophy

This paper examines the problems involved in the justification of punishment as a means of maintaining discipline in schools with specific reference to the pre-adolescent age. The punishment of children has become a subject of serious controversy in our society leading to two major camps for and against. Some thinkers still advocate the use of punishment in character formation and learning process of the child while others consider that it is possible to dispense with punishment altogether. Faced with these two extreme positions and the perceived insights of each, this paper seeks to work out a mediatory position with a view to providing for the child the best possible platform for moral and educational development. In order to achieve this objective, this paper attempts a clarification of the concepts: discipline and punishment. Also, it takes a critical look at the problems involved in the justification of punishment in the name of discipline of pupils who are yet to be deemed responsible. Finally, the paper suggests how ‘punishment’ can be meaningfully and reasonably utilized in the education of the child.

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