Guwahati, July 29 - The Assam government will soon introduce legislation banning corporal punishment in schools after a Unicef report said the state topped the list of Indian schools where corporal punishment and humiliation of students was rampant.
'We shall very soon ban corporal punishment in schools as such a system to rein in students has become obsolete and often leads to adverse impact on the students' mental well being and trauma,' Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told IANS.
A Unicef study said 99.56 percent of students in Assam schools were victims of corporal punishment.
The issue came up for a serious discussion in the ongoing three-day workshop titled 'Discipline with Dignity - Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools of Assam' organised by the Law Research Institute, the Gauhati High Court and Unicef in Assam's main city of Guwahati.
'It is a good beginning and I am confident this consultation would help us to move forward in creating a protective environment conducive to children to learn with dignity without fear or humiliation,' Karin Hulshof, India representative of the Unicef, said.
Despite the menace, not all students, however, protest.