Contained in this document is a summary of a first-hand account of Corporal Punishment and its use in the secondary school environment in Tanzania, compiled by a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in the education sector.

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Student Friendly Schools and Safe Schools Assessment
Report
Corporal Punishment Index and Results
Nkowe Secondary School – Mpumbe, Ruangwa, Lindi
Prepared by: Branden Ryan, Peace Corps Volunteer, PCTZ Education Class 2013-2015
______________________________________________________________________________
I. Definitions of Corporal Punishment and Regulations on Corporal Punishment by the Ministry of
Education and Vocational Training of Tanzania:
Corporal punishment is defined as “a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain
as retribution for an offence, or for the purposes of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes
or behavior deemed unacceptable.”
In Tanzania, corporal punishment is lawful in schools on the mainland under the National Corporal Punishment
Regulations 1979 pursuant to article 60 under the National Education Act 1978, which authorizes the minister
to make regulations “to provide for and control the administration of corporal punishment in schools.” The Law
of the Child Act 2009does not repeal this provision or prohibit corporal punishment in schools. Government
guidelines in 2000 reduced the number of strokes from six to four and stated that only heads of schools are
allowed the administer punishment, with penalties for teachers who flout these regulations.
The Law of the Child Act 2009 prohibits “torture, or other cruel, inhuman punishment or degrading treatment”
in article 13 but does not explicitly prohibit corporal punishment.
In 2011, the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations conducted a Universal Periodic Review, of which
Tanzania was included, with regards to efforts made in conjunction with the signing of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child 1990. Numerous countries criticized Tanzania for its efforts; the delegation of Egypt
encouraged Tanzania to “pursue efforts in human rights related areas, in particular […] corporal punishment.”
The delegation of Uruguay stated that the country must “strengthen measures aiming to make effective the
rights of the Child […] particularly on the issue of […] corporal punishment…” Sweden’s recommendation was
for the country to “prohibit all violence against children, including corporal punishment,” while the delegation
of Djibouti stated that the country should “continue to promote the right to education while prohibiting corporal
punishment.”1
According to the Corporal Punishment Regulations 2002 of Tanzania, “Corporal Punishment” refers to the
following tenets and must adhere to the following guidelines:
 Corporal punishment is punishment by striking a pupil on his hand or on his normally clothed buttock
with a light, flexible stick.
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Taken from http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/pages/progress/reports/un-rep-tanzania.html

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 Corporal punishment excludes/does not include striking a child with any other item on any other part of
the body.
 Corporal punishment is administered for serious violations of school rules or for offenses that disgrace
or shame the school.
 Corporal punishment will be reasonable for the offense, age, gender and health of the student.
 Corporal punishment will not exceed 3 strokes total on one occasion.
 Corporal punishments for female students will not be administered by male teachers.
 Corporal punishment will be recorded in writing in a punishment book, with the student’s name, offense,
number of strokes, and the name of the teacher who punished the student.
 If a student or a student’s parents refuse to accept corporal punishment, it may lead to the expulsion of
the student.
The Tanzania Violence Against Children Study, conducted in 2009 returned the following results:
• Nearly 3 out of every 10 females and 1 out of every 7 males reported at least one experience of sexual
violence prior to the age of 18.
• Nearly 6% of females have been physically forced to have sexual intercourse before the age of 18.
• Incidents of childhood sexual violence against both females and males most commonly took place in
someone’s house, at school or going to and from school.
• Approximately 60% of females and more than 50% of males aged 13 to 24 years believed that it is
acceptable for a husband to beat his wife under certain circumstances.
•
Almost 6 out of 10 girls and boys experienced childhood physical violence at the hand of relatives and 1 out of
2 at the hands of teachers

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The Tanzania Violence Against Children Study (Tanzania VACS) was guided by a Multi-Sectoral Task Force (MSTF) consisting of
government ministries and partners from social welfare, the police and legal system, education and health care sectors, the United
Nations and civil society. The study was coordinated by UNICEF Tanzania with technical guidance and assistance provided by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention, and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied
Sciences (MUHAS).
II. Position of the Author:
While preparing this report, it is important to note the position and the background of the author due to the
inherent biases associated with such predispositions. As a product of the American public school system, the
author was not subject to corporal punishment while growing up. The author did not have teachers who used
corporal punishment and the only physical discipline experienced by the author was at home at the discretion of
parents only. Thus, the author has been exposed to the ways in which alternative methods of discipline,
including detentions, restrictions, and other punishments, are effective in correcting disruptive behaviors.
Before arriving in Tanzania to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Education Sector, the author was not
personally exposed to a system in which corporal punishments were a systematic and institutional component of
the education system. As such, the author does not support the use of corporal punishments and advocates for
increased use of alternative discipline methods. The author believes that corporal punishment is not corrective
and does not serve to teach or inform students on the reasons that their behaviors are wrong, nor does it
encourage learning or foster a positive learning environment. The author believes that the use of corporal
punishment does not increase respect of the student for the teacher, but rather, increases the fear of the student
for the teacher. The author believes that the use of corporal punishment to punish students for poor academic
performance is not acceptable and does not encourage students to perform better. In order to learn more about
the use of corporal punishment and gender-based violence in schools in Tanzania, the author attended the
Student Friendly Schools and Safe Schools Training in April 2014 with a Tanzanian counterpart. The author
notes the similarities between corporal punishments administered by the teachers and punishments administered
by slave traders to slaves, attributing the continuation of these practices from the slave-based and colonial
history of Tanzania. The position of the author will be reflected in the analysis of the following survey results
but it did not affect the way in which the survey was conducted.

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III. Observations at Nkowe Secondary School by the Peace Corps Volunteer:
The Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) arrived at Nkowe Secondary School to begin 24 months of service as a
secondary school teacher in September 2013. Since then, the PCV has observed many, many instances of
corporal punishment being administered by both male and female teachers to male and female students alike.
Examples of corporal punishment include beatings with sticks on the buttocks, the back, the hands, the legs, and
other parts of the body, students being smacked on the face with the hand, students having to raise their arms
while "calling the rain," and students having to frog jump across school grounds.
In one instance, a male student flinched from a beating from a stick and the male teacher administering the
punishment struck the student in the face with his fist. In another instance, students were brought into the
staffroom for failing a test. They were quizzed, and regardless of their answers, beaten with a stick and then
made to say "Asante, Mwalimu," to the teacher administering the punishment. Many weeks, students are taken
in front during the morning assembly, made to kneel, and afterwards, are usually beaten with a stick for a wide
variety of reasons. There is no differentiation between offenses and punishments. Three beatings with a stick is
the standard punishment for a wide range of offenses, from dirty socks to arriving late, or disturbing class to
failing an exam. However, many students have reported that they have been beaten up to ten times for failing a
single exam. Form One students, especially, receive a disproportionate amount of punishments as means to
teach them about the school environment and what they should and should not do, but a significant byproduct of
that method of instruction is the environment of fear associated with the student/teacher relationship.
Alternative punishments are administered, including fetching water and making bricks. However, these
punishments are often underutilized by teachers. Similarly, if they are utilized, it is often at the inconvenience of
other teachers, occurring during teaching periods. Many periods have been disrupted by teachers on duty or
other teachers seeking students for the purpose of punishment. Entire classes have been sent to fetch water as
punishments, but this often occurs during the teaching periods of other instructors, thus disrupting their
schedules, their progress in the syllabus, and the learning process of the students. Indiscriminant use of corporal
punishment has not rectified many of the misbehaviors of the students. Though corporal punishments are
admittedly less frequent than at other schools based on anecdotal evidence from other PCVs, it is still an issue
that severely affects the learning culture of Nkowe Secondary School.
IV. Student Friendly Schools and Safe Schools Training Summary:
The Student Friendly Schools and Safe Schools Training was held in Morogoro in April 2014 and was
facilitated by Peace Corps Tanzania staff and two PCVs. The training was the first of its kind in the country and
brought American PCVs and Tanzanian counterparts together to discuss the issues of corporal punishment and
gender-based violence in the school environment. The sessions are mainly focused at education on these issues.
It then moved from defining terms associated with gender, sex, gender roles, corporal punishment, etc., to role
plays, scenarios, and sessions designed to see how corporal punishment and gender-based violence occurs in
schools and ways to address those issues. Tanzanian Counterparts were exposed to alternatives to corporal
punishment and many cross-cultural views were shared between Americans and Tanzanians. PCVs then worked
with their respective Counterparts to develop action plans to bring the Safe Schools methodologies to their
schools, including session designs and meeting plans.

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To present the information of the training to the teachers at Nkowe, the PCV relied on discussions rather than
presentations because of the environment of the staffroom. Even formulating a translation and operational
definition for corporal punishment ("adhabu katili") produced a heated discussion. The conversations more
made informal and natural so it would not seem like a forceful presentation of information to the teachers when
it became apparent that corporal punishment was very heated topic. The teachers were pretty evenly divided on
the use or nonuse of corporal punishment. Topics discussed included reasons, alternatives, history, cultural
factors, limitations and benefits, etc., of corporal punishment. Gender-based violence was also discussed, but
the conversation would usually gravitate back to corporal punishment. At the conclusion of most discussions,
teachers said they would try to limit corporal punishment.
The second training took take place in Dar es Salaam in December 2014.
V. Overview of Survey Respondents and Responses:
In October 2014, a survey was conducted with most of the students at Nkowe Secondary School to ask them
about their thoughts on corporal punishment in order to assess the effectiveness and the perceptions about
corporal punishment held by the students themselves. The following charts and explanations about various
questions reflect the results collected from the surveys. The surveys were conducted in Kiswahili, and though
quantitative data is presented in English, qualitative responses will be kept in Kiswahili.
Quantitative Analysis:

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Total surveyed students: 198

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Qualitative Analysis:
Question: How do you feel when you receive corporal punishment?
In general, almost all respondents stated that they feel bad when they receive corporal punishments. Some
students elaborated on their feelings:
- Najisikia vibaya kwa sababu ni kinyume na haki za binadamu
- Najisikia vibaya sana na ninakuwa simpendi hata kuwmona mwalimu alienipa adhabu hiyo
- Najisikia vibaya na ninapata maumivu makali
- Kwa kweli inauma sana na ninajisikia vibaya kwa sababu ninakosa muda wa kusoma na mwanafunzi
hawea kuchukia shule
- Najisikia vibaya kwa muda mwingi sana unatumika kufanya adhabu
- Najisikia vibaya sana hata kusoma nashindwa
- Kwanza, najisikia vibaya, pili mtakuwa sina muda wa kusoma nafikiria adhabu
These feelings were common among all respondents.
Question: Where else have you received corporal punishments besides your hands or feet?

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Students answered that they have received corporal punishments by stick on their thighs, their backs, and their
legs. Some students answered that they have had their ears pulled or have been slapped in the cheek by teachers.
Question: What do you think about teachers who give corporal punishments?
The students were very unanimous in calling for teachers to reduce their administration of corporal
punishments. Some students identified teachers by names, and others gave examples of instances where they
received punishments from certain teachers (none of whom will be named in this report). Students were very
adamant that teachers follow examples of others who do not administer corporal punishments.
- Wapunguze adhabu kali kwani na sisi ni viumbe kama wao
- Waalimu wanaotoa adhabu za kikatili wachukiliwe hatua kuacha
- Wapunguze kutoa adhabu kali kwani wanasabibisha wanafunzi washindwe kujisomea
- Mawazo yangu juu ya waalimu watoa adhabu katili ni kwamba waache tabia hiyo kwani wanawafanya
wanafunzi wengi washindwe kumudu masomo kwa hofu ya kuadhibiwa
- Mawazo yangu ni kwamba waalimu wapunguze adhabu katili kwani wanaowapa adhabu katili
wanafunzi watashindwa kukamili masomo yao
- Naomba nwapunguze adhabu na wasitoe adhabu kali sana
- Wajirekebishe kwa sababu watapiga mwisho wa siku watawaumiza wanafunzi
Question: What do you think about teachers who do not give corporal punishments?
The general trend among students was to praise teachers who do not administer corporal punishments and to
continue doing so in order to act as examples for other teachers. Students said that teachers who do not
administer corporal punishments create better relationships with their students.
- Naomba waendelee na moyo huo na Mungu awabariki
- Waalimu wasiotoa adhabu za kikali ninawashukuru bali wanaonyesha uzoefu na wanafunzi wao wawe
hivyo hivyo mifano ya shulehii
- Nina mawazo kwamba wanajua mtu akikosea anarekebisha lakini siyo kwa fimbo au makofi
- Waendelee na moyo wa kutotoa adhabu katili kwani ni chanzo cha kuelewa zaidi na kujenga uhusiano
nzuri baina ya mwalimu na mwanafunzi
- Waendelee kutotoa adhabu katili kwani wataelewana na wanafunzi vizuri kabisa na kushindwa
kunyimwa vitu na wanafunzi
- Wajitahidi kuwaelimisha waalimu wenzao juu ya adhabu katili kwa kuwa hautokuwa unamwelimisha
mwanafunzi bali utakuwa unamtengenezea mwanafunzi tabia mbaya
- Waalimu wasiotoa adhabu katili waendelee na moyo huohuo kwani wanajenga mahusiano mazuri na
wanafunzi wao jambo hili linawafanya nwanafunzi waone raha ya uwepo wao shuleni
- Waalimu wasiotoa adhabu za kikatili waendelee na tabia hiyo kwa sababu ni nzuri
Question: What do you think about corporal punishments?
The students had a variety of opinions about corporal punishments, but overall, the consensus was that corporal
punishments are not beneficial for students. Some did not condemn corporal punishment by offering no
comment, but most were critical about corporal punishment as being unhelpful and not effective in changing
behaviors of students.
- Adhabu katili hazisaidii chochote

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- Hazisaidii kwa sababu mwanafunzi akimpa adhabu kali sana atachukiwa na mwengine ataacha shule
kabisa kwa hiyo nawashauli waalimu wapunguze adhabu kali
- Kwa kawaida adhabu hazisaidii chochote, kwani mwalimu ajufunze kusamehe na sipendekezi adhabu
yoyote itumike. Mwanafunzi ni kumuonya tu kwa maneno. Adhabu hazisaidii chochote
- Najisikia vibaya sana hata shule natamani niache kwa adhabu za kila siku wanafunzi wengi sana
wanaacha kusoma kwa sababu adhabu zimezidi kwa hiyo mwache kutoa adhabu kali hapa shuleni
- Hazisaidii kitu kwa sababu kila muda nitakuwa nawazia ile adhabu
- Binafsi yangu adhabu katili hazisaidii kurekebisha tabia
Question: If you were a teacher, would you give corporal punishments?
Almost all students stated that, if they were a teacher, they would not use corporal punishments. Some did say
that they would use corporal punishment because, culturally, it is necessary, but that they would only use a stick
two or three times at most for certain offenses only. Some of the views of the students are as follows:
- Hapana, kwa sababu pindi utoapa adhabu katili kwa mwanafunzi, unamjengea mazingira mabaya kama
vile kuwa jambazi, mwizi, mgomvi, na kutoheshimu wazazi. Kwa hiyo, fimbo sio adhabu mbadala ya
mwanafunzi kumondolea ubishi
- Hapana, kwa sababu ingepelekea wanafunzi wengi kutokunipenda, ningesabibisha wanafunzi kuacha
shule kwa sababu ya kuniogopa mini, na wanafunzi wengi wasingejenga urafiki na mimi
- Hapana, kwa sababu kupiga fimbo si kweli wa ndiyo maana wanafunzi wengi wavaa nguo nyingi ndani
kwa kuogopoa fimbo
- Kama ningekuwa mwalimu nisingetoa adhabu katili kwa sababu kuna uwezekano wa kufanya
wanafunzi wangu washindwe kunielewa darasani kwa hofu ya adhabu
- Hapana,kwa sababu nmwanafunzi unapokuwa unampiga unamwaribu kisaikolojiana unasabibisha kufeli
katika mitihani yake kwa sababu mwanafunzi anakuwa na wasiwasi kila wakati
- Hapana, kwa sababu wanafunzi wataniogopa na kushindwa kuniuliza maswali kwenye somo langu
hivyo itawasabibisha kushuka kwa taaluma yao
- Hapana, kwa sababu ukiondoa fimbo kwa wanafunzi baadhi yao watafanya watakovyo viboko
visiondolewe ilaviwekwe mpaka kwa mfano mwanafunzi anatakiwa kupigwa fimbo tatu zikizidi hapo
mwalimu apewe adhabu kali na serikali
- Kama ningekuwa mimi bu mwalimu nisingetoa tu adhabu yoyote wala nisingechapa fimbo ila
singewashauli tu wanafunzi kuhusu elimu kwa sababu fimbo, adhabu haisaidii kufaulu kwa mwanafunzi
ni juhudi zke mwenyewe
- Ningefuata sheria tatu tu
VI. Conclusions from the Student Survey on Corporal Punishment
According to the survey results from the students, the following conclusions can be made based on the answers
provided:
1. All students at Nkowe have received corporal punishments during their time at Nkowe, whether only a
few times per month or many times per month.
2. Most female students have received corporal punishments from male teachers which is contrary to
corporal punishment regulations in Tanzania.
3. Many instances of corporal punishment have exceeded the allocated 3 strikes per offense.

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4. Offenses are not written in a ledger for accountability as per the corporal punishment regulations in
Tanzania.
5. Students have received corporal punishment on areas besides the buttocks for males or hands for
females which is contrary to the corporal punishment regulations in Tanzania.
6. All students agreed that teachers who do not administer corporal punishment should continue their
behavior.
7. All students agreed that teachers who do administer corporal punishment should model their behaviors
after those who do not by offering alternatives to corporal punishments.
8. Students agreed that being hit with a stick does not change behavior or teach students.
9. Students complained about labor-related tasks, such as carrying water, collecting firewood, or creating
bricks, thus demonstrating that these alternative punishments impact the students more by making
stronger impressions that will then change behaviors.
10. Students agreed that receiving corporal punishments made them feel bad, and many said that it makes
them have negative thoughts and feelings towards school.
11. Most students agreed that they will not use corporal punishments as teachers because they do not think it
will help them connect with their students and will dissuade students from learning.
VII. Recommendations:
One of the areas that must be addressed at schools in Tanzania is the standards of conduct for students and what
constitutes an infraction of the rules. Similarly, teachers as a single, cohesive staff unit should have a uniform
set of punishments for each infraction and should adhere to the same standards. It is very confusing for students
to receive different punishments to differing degrees from different teachers depending on who is the Teacher
on Duty, who sees the infraction, or whose class is being disrupted. These inconsistencies make it difficult for
students to follow the same sets of rules with the same expectations.
The recommendations from the PCV for Nkowe Secondary School are as follows:
1. Establish a uniform code of conduct for students and for teachers.
2. Establish a set of guidelines by which teachers must follow for the administering of punishments in
conjunction with the Counseling Office (Ofisi ya Malezi).
3. Follow the rules and regulations of corporal punishment as outlined in the above section and prescribed
by the MoEVT and only administer corporal punishment according to the guidelines set in
Recommendation 2.
4. Encourage other teachers to use alternatives to corporal punishment and discuss which methods are most
effective when teaching, including, but not limited to, some of the suggestions in the table below.
5. Establish possible positive incentives for students who demonstrate good behaviors or excel
academically in order to promote other students to try to copy such behaviors.

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6. Create timetables for cleaning duties on a weekly basis by those who receive such punishments, thereby
taking away something important to students – TIME and FREEDOM. By taking away things that
students find important, such as sports or chai time, teachers can make big impacts on behaviors of
students. If students know they cannot participate in special events or in fun activities, they will be
deterred from acting inappropriately.
7. Create timetables for study hall periods where students who have academic punishments can finish their
tasks as appropriate, while also being mindful not to make education itself seem like a punishment.
8. Encourage all teachers to lead by example in all school policies, such as speaking in English, observing
time and schedules, and performing necessary duties of teachers.
Alternatives to Corporal Punishment
Work-Related
Activities
Education-Related
Activities
Positive Incentives Other Recommendations
1. Cleaning of
school
bathrooms,
offices,
laboratories,
libraries, or other
places for a
certain amount of
time
1. Study Hall –
require students
who fail to
make up class
time during
extra-curricular
activities; do
not allow
students to
participate in
sports but
instead require
them to do
exercises in the
class.
1. Compliment
students who exhibit
good behaviors so
that they become
examples for other
students.
1. If students are
doing work for
other classes while
a teacher is
teaching, the
teacher can take the
notebook for that
class and require a
task (educational or
otherwise) before
the student can
have the notebook
returned.
2. Create an area for
students to dig
trash holes for the
school.
2. For missed
questions on a
test, require
students to
make up the
same number of
problems from
NECTA
examples so
that the student
can benefit
2. Motivate and make
aware extra
opportunities
available for
students by
succeeding at
school.
2. Soft
embarrassment:
make late students
dance in front of
class, make
sleeping students
exercise in front of
class

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from additional
exercises.
3. Have students
collect firewood
for the school
kitchen.
3. Instead of punishing
students who
perform poorly,
reward those who
perform well with
prizes, candy, or
something else.
3. Separate talking or
disruptive students.
4. Have students
collect buckets of
water for the
school.
4. Show
disappointment
when students fail
by telling them that
they can do better,
and praise good
behaviors for
reinforcement.
4. Have students
create class rules as
well as the
consequences for
breaking the rules
so that they know
the expectations.
5. Have students
who receive
punishments
work on a special
farm area
reserved for
students who get
punishments so
the school can
also benefit from
their work.
5. Offer thank yous to
students who
complete tasks or do
things correctly or
set good examples.
6. Have students
create bricks or
other materials
for use at the
school.
6. Create a “star
student” award for
students who show
good character –
perhaps each “star
student” will have
chai bought for them
one day of the week.
VIII. Acknowledgements:

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First and foremost, the author would like to acknowledge the students of Nkowe Secondary School and thank
them for their participation in the collection of survey results and their continued dedication to their studies.
Thanks goes to Albert Maulaga for attending the original Student Friendly Schools and Safe Schools Training
with the author and helping to translate the survey that was conducted among students. The author would like to
acknowledge the teachers at Nkowe Secondary School for their work to help educate the future generation of
Tanzanian leaders and their efforts to maintain Nkowe Secondary School's status as one of the best public
schools in the Lindi region. And finally, the author wishes to thank Peace Corps Tanzania staff and fellow
PCVs in their support of Tanzania and the efforts of Volunteers at their sites.
Peace Corps Tanzania-Inaugural Student Friendly Schools and Safe Schools Training – Morogoro 2014