UAE: Is corporal punishment allowed in schools?
Institutions must define boundaries on acceptable behavior in schools and take measures on such issues as they arise so that students are able to thrive in all aspects of their conduct and education.
A nation's educational institutions are key contributors to the calm and conducive environment of its schools. Because students should never have to fear punishment for the use of corporal punishment in school, such things are banned in every part of the country.
The call of the day is to foster positive behavior wherever possible. It is imperative to note that however, private schools in Abu Dhabi are banned from adopting the rain of the following for student disciplining:
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Corporal punishment (the use of physical force to inflict discipline or punishment)
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Abuse of privilege: To make unauthorized disclosure of confidential or personal information
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Psychological abuse (Verbal abuse/emotional blackmail or threats)
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Forcible lock up of the student at the school premises
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Confiscating possessions of the student without prior order from the behavior management board.
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Withdrawal or threat of withdrawal of student’s academic grade/score against set rules.
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Whipping a group of people for the undertakings of one member of the group.
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Assigning extra written work to a student
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Ridiculing, abusing, or scornfully speaking to the student in private or in public settings
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Forcing the student above all else from attending to toilet/sanitary purposes and consuming food and water
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Issuance of detention orders outside the schools official hours without consent from the parents.
It is mandatory for schools to come up with a student behavior policy in relation to the corrective measures that can be taken, and make sure that these are appropriate in kind, reasonable in nature and in line with existing disciplinary interventions. What are schools allowed to do in relation to discipline?
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Some of the possible disciplinary measures include talking to the student and the parents as well
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Formal and written notices of meetings concerning the student(s) and/or parents
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Warnings and reprimands
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Notices to the parents about the child’s behavior
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Isolative in or out of school but with proper supervision (in house absence)
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Taking away some rights that are enjoyed in the school
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Taking away of devices like the mobile phone or music player
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Detention during recess periods but parental permission is required
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Restrictive or supervised community service
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Failure to attend school either because of suspension for a short time
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For lifelong failure just the child’s enrollment has been canceled and that means they’ve been expelled.
It is essential for institutions to ensure that their misconduct policy and procedures classify the misconduct based on levels. Not all levels of indiscipline calls for removal of a learner from offsite school activities. However, certain offenses categorized in levels two, three and four may warrant expulsion of the learner from the school.
Levels of misconduct
Leaving the classroom without permission, non-attendance or absence of students at school-organized functions without permission or a valid reason, and fighting or bullying other students are level two offenses. Such offenses may include: minor damage to school property, usage of phones in classrooms, or swearing towards members of the school community. Smoking or taking up other tobacco products, disobeying safety rules and directions.
Level three crimes include Any bullying, intimidation, harassment or abuse of a member of the school community, even if such behavior occurs outside the school, for instance, on social media and blogs. Other offences include forgery of documents, impersonation, and cheating and plagiarism. Leaving the premise of the school without permission, defacing school property, causing excessive fire alarm or fire extinginguisher usage are also included. Other violations involve vandalism of the school bus, hitting someone without injuring them, dangerous driving, taking or publishing video or pictures of students or teachers without asking for consent.
Level four violations encompass the use of communication means for illegal and immoral activities that bring the reputation of the school and its community into disrepute. Other offenses include possession and use of weapons, sexual offenses and assault with injury to other persons. Other information include stealing, taking or distributing illegal material, providing information about the examination with the intention of passing the examination and arson. Very serious violations include: UIImage: Political, religious, and social obscenities against persons residing in the UAE.
Consumption and distribution of alcohol and narcotic substances, advertising and supporting morally open ideas, shady electronic dealings, and illegal access to school sites after permitted hours are also classified as offences. Recurrent bullying or harassment including smear campaigns on social networks.
Schools need to specify well-defined and step by step academic disciplinary measures that schools can implement in an event of a student’s indiscipline. Schools have the right to apply lenience in the execution of the disciplinary measures but such measures must be within the framework of the set procedures.
Level of misconduct - Two
First time - written warning: The Student will sign The Undertaking and promise to refrain from committing this offense. Get hold of the parent, who has to provide an assurance to help the child reform.
Second time - onsite suspension: Place an exclusion order on the student and limit the student to not more than two days and place supervised study assignments within the school premises with sufficient information to the parent. Also, issue a second written notice to both the student and parent regarding misconduct. Parents are to endorse an undertaking on the methods recommended by the Behavioural Management Committee regarding the reintegration of the student.
Third time - onsite suspension: Place the student on suspension for 3 days, assigning supervised study programs within the school premises. Thus, it has to be the last and written notice to the student and their parents should be served. Notify the committee to come up with how the student will be resocialized. One of the factors will include a written undertaking by the parent.
More than 3 times - expulsion: The student has to be placed on Offsite suspension with immediate effect pending investigations for a maximum of five days with sufficient information to parents.
The committee will assess the evidence and recommend final disciplinary action, which may include expulsion. In the event that the student does not respond and continues to commit the act over repeat offenses after such measures, the institution can seek Adek’s order to have the student expelled. Such applications made to Adek should demonstrate that other measures were exhausted and that adequate support and counseling as required by the behavior strategy were offered as well.
Level of misconduct - Three
First instance: onsite suspension - within the school premises, the student will be suspended within the school premises which will be the first step of measure sanctioned, in keeping with the disciplinary policy. The committee will be the one to sort through the evidence and appropriate disciplinary actions shall be determined. In this regard, the parents are supposed to be notified by the school so as to make them aware of the action taken and they are supposed to sign an undertaking which supports the agreed strategy.
Second instance: offsite suspension - The student will be suspended from the school for five days awaiting the investigation. Immediately inform the parent about what happened. The committee will be the one to sort through the evidence and appropriate disciplinary actions shall be determined and agreed on. One more time, the parents and the students will be informed that a precautionary measure was undertaken by the committee and this measure is always in the form of a warning.
Third instance: expulsion - A five day suspension of the student from the school without the students attending school will be Employed as One of the disciplinary measures, a five-day suspension of the student will last, and parents will be informed about the fact. Disciplinary steps will include a – focus on expulsion, resurrection of the committee’s suggestions and decisiveness that ignorance of terms may lead to expulsion. Upon following the previous steps, and if pupils continue repeating the offence, the school can then write to Adek. The evidence which will be submitted to Adek will include the fact that all the previous phases were followed and that thorough counseling has been given.
Level of misconduct - Four
For the first offsiting, we shall administrate offsite suspension: The child shall be off-site until the probe is over and the parent representative is informed. The commission will collect all the evidence and come up with a suspension plan.
Second time, let alone looking for an alternative, will result in expulsion: Let the child be on Offsite Suspension of five days until the parent is contacted and the probe is over. The commission will be able to evaluate the existing evidence and arrive at disciplinary outcomes staring from expulsion. In recapitulating interactions, the school may request Adek to expel the perpetrator child who consistently repeats the misconduct. In making the applications to Adek, the school has to substantiate the flow of each stage including that reasonable counseling has been done in accordance with the strategies on behavior.
Adek shall remain with jurisdiction to receive and investigate complaints in relation to suspensions as well as expulsions after the school has made a determination. Except in the event that Adek fails to make a determination in regards to the issue within a reasonable time period, this determination should be made after the final determination on the issue at hand.
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