Two Fridays ago – one thousand teachers marched on Independence
Hill against the Education and Training Bill. They wanted the Minister of Education
to remove the ban on corporal punishment from the Bill but he didn’t and
the Bill was passed. And while that might have been the crossing of a Rubicon,
the Union and the Minister have apparently made peace. In fact, last week BNTU
President Jaime Panti issued a statement saying corporal punishment has to go.
And today Panti was at the head table with Minister Faber at the inauguration
of the 19 member task force appointed to find alternatives to corporal punishment.
Now it’s the same task force that was committed to before the demonstration
as a goodwill gesture. It didn’t work to stop the demonstration then,
so why the about face? That’s what we tried to find out.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The task of the 19 member task force is to find alternatives to corporal punishment
but Education Minister Patrick Faber says that won’t be its singular purpose.
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
“This task force is therefore charged with the responsibility to work
with the Ministry of Education and other relevant stakeholders to identify,
recommend, and devise a plan for the introduction of alternative student discipline
approaches. It is not what will replace corporal punishment. As we have indicated
and I believe all stakeholders agreed with us, the big alternative, if we insist
on using that word, to corporal punishment is training. It is to get our teachers
to be at that point where they understand what can be done.”
Faber says the Task Force will have 6 months or as long as it needs which Faber
says is a concession to the union.
Hon. Patrick Faber,
“We simply did not agree on the 
timeline and the time frame. The six
month period is not written in stone. However we are going to try our best,
I am asking task force members to try their best to make sure that we fit within
that six months. But if there is the need to and they indicate to us clearly
where that need is present then that can be done.”
Jaime Panti, BNTU President
“I want to make it clear that the position of the union is for us
to do away with corporal punishment but the structures and mechanisms must be
in place to give support. Discipline is not only about the teacher, discipline
has to be the community at large and this is where we need to focus.”
Hon. Patrick Faber,
“I understand them to be saying let us move forward. We cannot continue
to fight and quarrel and it is the same position that the Ministry of Education
has.”
The task force held its inaugural meeting following this afternoon’s
press conference.
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