Most teachers admit they use the cane and are apt to strike first and ask for explanations later. The reason, they say, is they simply do not have time or energy to sit down and talk with students. For one thing, resources in most schools are strained. It is not uncommon for 80 students to share 10 books. He cites an extreme example of a school in the district with 400 students and only two teachers.
Some children are so humiliated by the experience they run away from school.
Ndosi hopes that by educating teachers, they may start asking themselves if corporal punishment actually works. If you give them strokes they will think you are doing nothing. Instead of caning, her school now disciplines students through manual labour, such as pounding maize or carrying heavy loads of rocks or wood for construction projects. Their average grades have also risen. The results will be studied, and if seen as positive, the policy could be applied in schools throughout the district.