An investigation into effectiveness of corporate punishment in suppressing deviant behaviors among pupils in selected High Schools of Kabwe district

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of punishment in suppressing deviant behaviour among pupils in selected high schools of Kabwe District. This topic was derived from one of the objectives in my dissertation and the findings that underlie the same.The study used descriptive survey as a research design to effectively collect both qualitative and quantitative data from the respondents.
The total sample size was 144 solicited from the four high schools. Outlined as follows; 100 pupils, 40 teachers and 4 Head teachers. Mukobeko, Kabwe, Kalonga and Bwacha high schools were purposely selected.The study revealed that the social control systems that were used in most schools to control pupils behaviour contributed to the increase of deviant acts among pupils. Teachers used punishment, forced transfers and suspensions as the only recourse in dealing with deviant pupils. These were punitively applied and so no greater changes were seen in pupils behaviors. Following the Education Act of 1966 which stipulated that corporal punishment as it applied to the beating of children was permissible but could only be applied by the head of a school or one designated to do so. Many teachers over used this mandate as social control system and so it raised a lot of tension and a host of legal, political and ethical concerns. However, in 1998 the Government of Zambia in an Act of Parliament abolished the use of corporal punishment in all schools. This has since been ratified by the new Education Act of 2002 which says that corporal punishment has been abolished. As a result of these teachers have been left without any obvious alternative to the traditional punishment that they were accustomed to. How this study endeavored to show how punishment could be applied justly with out leaving any punitive traits and hence produces lasting behavioral change.
Recommendations:
The following recommendations were made based on the findings;
1. School administrators must ensure that they seek pupils’ involvement in the formulation of school rules and regulations.
2. School administrators must ensure that they specify the consequences that offenders are likely to face following the infraction of any particular rule and that they must administer them fairly.