Physical, mental dev of school children stressed

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City Desk :
Teachers and others concerned should discharge their duties with utmost sincerity and honesty so that physical and mental development of the school children is ensured properly, speakers at a discussion viewed this.
Terming the present children as future leaders of the country, they mentioned that the school children must be protected from all sorts of physical and mental punishments at educational institutions for sake of their proper development.
The observations came yesterday at an advocacy meeting with school managing committee (SMC) members, teachers, parents and public representatives at Shitlai Government Primary School under Paba Upazila of Rajshahi district.
Funded by UKAID through Maxwell Stamp-PLC, Light House Consortium under its ‘Improved Justice and Legal Aid Services (IJLAS) project’ organized the meeting under the Community Legal Services Programme.
Main thrust of the meeting was to sensitize the teachers, guardian, students and other stakeholders to end such institutional punishment as it’s a deadly crime, a social menace and a costly public health problem.
Chairman of Damkura Union Parishad Abdus Salam and SMC President Omor Ali addressed the discussion as chief and special guests respectively with Headmaster Sabdar Ali in the chair.
UP Member Mukhlesur Rahman, SMC Members Yeasin Ali and Mahtab Ali, school teachers Mominul Islam and Irin Banu and Light House Upazila Coordinator Sanowar Hossain and paralegal Abdul Barique Sarker spoke on the occasion.
During his concept paper presentation, Sanowar Hossain painted an overview of the meeting in his welcome speech adding a collective effort is needed to free the educational institutions from any physical and mental punishment against students.
The children should not be given physical and mental punishment at any means. The High Court has clear-cut directions in this regard. Proper and effective enforcement of the directives given by the most respectable High Court has become an urgent need to end the unethical punishment.
The ministry of education has promulgated circular banning physical and mental punishment against children in the educational institutions. So, all of us should come forward and work together to stop the institutional punishment, Sanowar added.
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