Lagos education stakeholders seek alternatives to corporal punishment

Education stakeholders in Lagos State have called for a comprehensive review of school discipline policies, increased deployment of guidance counsellors, stronger parental involvement and clearer alternatives to corporal punishment.

They made the call at a policy roundtable on school discipline, organised by the Ajoke Ayisat Afolabi Foundation (AAAF), with support from SIFAX Group, held at the Lagos Marriott Hotel, Ikeja.

The event had the theme: ‘Assessing the Impact of Banning Corporal Punishment on Discipline in Schools: Exploring Alternative Strategies for Managing Student Misconduct’, and it also featured activities to mark International Teachers’ Day and the recognition of outstanding teachers in the state.

Discussions at the roundtable focused on concerns that although the ban on corporal punishment aligns with child protection principles, schools require clearer operational guidelines and stronger institutional support to manage student behaviour effectively.

It emphasised the need for education stakeholders to recognise that maintaining discipline in schools and protecting children’s rights are not mutually exclusive goals.

Declaring the roundtable open, Chairman of SIFAX Group and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of AAAF, Dr Taiwo Afolabi, said discipline remained fundamental to educational success and national development.

He stressed that the discussion was beyond policy to safeguarding children’s future, strengthening teachers’ confidence and building a society anchored on responsibility and character.

According to him, schools should be environments where “children can learn in safety, teachers can teach with dignity, and discipline serves as a pathway to character, not fear; responsibility, not rebellion; growth, not resentment.”

Afolabi urged stakeholders to approach the issue with open minds and focus on practical solutions that prioritise children’s best interests in educational reforms.

A major highlight of the event was the presentation of findings from a statewide policy review conducted by AAAF across the five divisions of Lagos State.

The research involved 451 students and 42 school leaders and teachers, while 150 students participated in focus group discussions across 15 schools.

Presenting the findings, the researchers reported that although most students surveyed believed their schools maintained relatively good levels of discipline, many educators expressed concern about inadequate guidance on alternatives to corporal punishment.

The report identified gaps in policy implementation, teachers’ capacity, institutional support and stakeholder engagement.

It recommended clearer policies, continuous teacher training, the development of school-level disciplinary frameworks, stronger parental participation and periodic policy reviews to address emerging challenges.

The study also proposed structured procedures for escalating disciplinary cases to ensure that sanctions were proportionate to the offences committed.

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Ali-Balogun, stressed that discipline began at home, arguing that many challenges confronting schools reflected wider societal problems rather than failures within the education sector alone.

He said effective implementation of school policies depended largely on cooperation among parents, schools and communities.

The commissioner expressed concern over what he described as a growing disconnect between parents and schools, noting that some parents failed to respond when invited to discuss behavioural issues involving their children.

“We must create society first. It is not just about policy. Parents are critical to discipline,” he said, urging families to take greater responsibility for the moral upbringing of their children.

Goodwill messages from government officials and other stakeholders also emphasised the need to balance discipline with dignity and child protection.

Representatives of the education sector, quality assurance agencies and social welfare institutions advocated positive discipline, counselling services, restorative practices and behavioural intervention programmes.

Students who participated in AAAF’s essay competition on school discipline also challenged stakeholders to reconsider traditional approaches to punishment and prioritise character development, responsibility and self-control.

The winner of the competition, Iwala Olachiwa Sharon, said effective discipline should enable children to make the right decisions even when no authority figure was present.

She advocated guidance and counselling, restorative justice measures and clear disciplinary codes as alternatives to physical punishment.

Another student speaker, Mudahiru Anuoluwa, urged stakeholders to move beyond the debate over whether teachers should flog students and focus instead on building a school system that produces disciplined, responsible and self-motivated young people.

Experts from the education sector, civil society organisations, school administrations and teachers’ unions also called for stronger support systems in schools.

They advocated increased recruitment of guidance counsellors, specialised training for teachers and more structured collaboration among parents, schools and government agencies.

The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Lola Vivour-Adeniyi, argued that corporal punishment often failed to achieve genuine behavioural change, calling for disciplinary approaches that emphasised communication, guidance and accountability.

She described physical punishment as a “lazy approach” that could instil fear without necessarily building character.

Stakeholders also raised concerns about emerging challenges associated with social media influence, changing family structures, peer pressure, mental health issues and neurodiversity among students.

They stressed the need to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to understand and respond appropriately to these changing realities.

The roundtable ended with a consensus that sustainable school discipline reforms required shared responsibility among government, school administrators, parents, civil society organisations and students.

Participants called for clearer disciplinary procedures, stronger child protection mechanisms and sustained stakeholder engagement to improve discipline in schools.

The event also featured the recognition of outstanding teachers selected through AAAF’s statewide nomination exercise.

Mrs Modupe Odumade of Ijaye Ojokoro Senior High School emerged as the highest-ranked teacher, followed by Mrs ThankGod Priscilla, Mrs Balogun Ramota Temitope, Mr Akinola Oluwatobi and Ms James Mary Omolade.

Participants stressed that achieving both would require evidence-based policies, committed leadership, active parental involvement and sustained collaboration across the education sector.