Good Schools
The research started things off…
The study results were shocking and something had to be done! The situation in schools was very serious, with 60% of the children saying that schools were the most unsafe places for them, with corporal punishment used very widely and seen as normal by adults. So Raising Voices, a small local organisation based in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, wanted to do something to change this situation.
Adults from Raising Voices found various schools who were interested in working with them. They ran sessions and consultations in the schools about violence against children. Eventually, Raising Voices chose two schools who would work with them more.
Children in schools worked together with adults…
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The two schools, St. Peter’s Primary School Kanyanya and Mulago Secondary School, were going to become ‘Good Schools,’ where no corporal punishment happens.
To do this, each school formed a committee of children, teachers, parents and other concerned community members. The committee members worked together to create Codes of Conduct for the schools that children understand and accept. They hoped teachers and children could decide together how teachers could help children behave better without using violence.
Ssekadde Willington from Raising Voices, says “The children[‘s] committes have been a key tool in enabling children to air their views and come up with a wide range of propositions.”
The committees agreed that the schools should use alternatives to corporal punishment, through four stages:
1. Reflection for minor day to day problems.
2. Penalties for persistent offences.
3.Reparation for offences that cause damage - if children damage something, they have to mend it or make it better.
4. Last resort for persistent and serious offences.
Read more about the Good Schools on Raising Voices' website.
Two schools was a great start - but corporal punishment was still happening in many other schools! So the children and adults from the Good School shared their experiences with others, to help more schools become corporal punishment free. Click here to find out how they did it!
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