Ghanaian actress and educational entrepreneur, Yvonne Nelson, has made a strong case against the use of corporal punishment in schools, advocating instead for more humane and constructive forms of discipline.
Speaking on The Career Trail with Irene Adubea Aning, Nelson, who also runs her own school, insisted that physical punishment has no place in education and only instills fear rather than correcting behavior.
“No one has the right to touch anyone’s kid. We don’t do any of that here,” she said, explaining how her school uses alternative methods like time-outs, counseling, and involving parents when necessary. She emphasized that misbehavior is often a sign that a child may be dealing with emotional challenges and needs understanding, not punishment.
Nelson dismissed the widely referenced proverb “spare the rod and spoil the child” when used to justify corporal punishment in schools, clarifying that it applies strictly within the home.
“Even when the parents tell you to discipline the child, who are you to touch anyone’s child? You leave that to the parents,” she asserted.
Drawing from her personal experience, the actress recounted how the fear of being caned by teachers negatively affected her own academic journey. She revealed that during her Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), she skipped Costing and Accounting papers entirely due to anxiety caused by a particularly abusive teacher.
“Our teacher was always beating us up and I was always skipping classes. What was I going to write? I cannot balance the sheet,” she recounted.
Nelson argued that fear-driven discipline not only damages student-teacher relationships but also stifles learning, leading to long-term academic and emotional setbacks.
“No one should touch anyone’s child,” she repeated, calling on schools across the country to rethink their disciplinary methods and create nurturing environments where children can truly flourish.
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