Corporal Punishment not a Private Matter

The Green Party is concerned by the findings of a Law Commission report which suggests private schools are unchallenged over use of corporal punishment.

“It seems bizarre that private schools can be considered above the law of the land, especially when they get $40 million of state funding a year and are expected to meet modern standards in all other ways,” Green Party Education Spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said.

“It is even more illogical – given the changes to section 59 of the Crimes Act – that any school would be able to act inconsistently with the ban on corporal punishment.”

Law Commission President Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s foreword to the Private Schools And The Law report shows private schools inhabit a grey area legally and regulation has never had systematic attention.

More than 30,000 students attend New Zealand’s 99 private schools and they deserve the full protection of the law, Ms Delahunty said.

Non violence needed to be upheld in all homes and all schools and regulations protecting all children applied across the board: “Private schools can teach from their own philosophical perspective but we believe the Ministry of Education has a duty to ensure all schools receiving any level of state funding are safe and free from violence against children.”

The Law Commission’s report is available at: http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/UploadFiles/Publications/Publication_142_420_IP12.pdf