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Creating Safer Schools: Lessons Learned; Strategies for Action SessionSession12Creating partnershipsChristopher Mugumya shared the experienceof ANPPCAN Uganda Chapter in an attemptto create schools that practiced alternativesto corporal punishment. In 1997, the Ministryof Education and Sports (MoES) announcedin a Circular that corporal punishment wasprohibited in the schools. However thewording of the Circular was ambiguous andthere appeared to be no follow up strategyby MoES to ensure that the intention behindthe Circular was clearly understood andpracticed in schools.ANPPCAN Uganda started working withthe Ministry of Education to come up withthe guidelines. However, after an intenselypoliticized process, the emerging guidelineswere not passed on to schools. The key issuewas that there was a strongly conservativepower base within the MoES that saw theguidelines as a threat to the adult’s authorityover children. Furthermore, there may havebeen additional internal politics being playedout that prevented the initiative to gaintraction.“No guidelines were provided to go alongwith this ban. No leadership was givenon how discipline should be promoted inschools. So we had a ban in place, butteachers were at a loss how to deal with it,”Mugumya said.In the absence of guidelines sanctioned bythe MoES, the situation became chaotic.“Schools looked at ‘us’ [proponents ofnon violent forms of disciplinary actions]as disruptive forces. Teachers stoppeddisciplining children. In the absence of thecane, they said there was nothing else theycould conceivably do. So, they let disciplineget out of hand, and they turned back andsaid: ‘you are responsible for this mess.’Other teachers instituted harsh non-caningmethods, but students said they would ratherbe caned than be humiliated in this way. Stillother teachers said alternatives were time“Schools looked at ‘us’[proponents of non violentforms of disciplinary actions]as disruptive forces. Teachersstopped disciplining children.In the absence of the cane, theysaid there was nothing else theycould conceivably do. So, theylet discipline get out of hand,and they turned back and said:‘you are responsible for thismess.’ Other teachers institutedharsh non-caning methods, butstudents said they would ratherbe caned than be humiliated inthis way.”Christopher Mugumyaconsuming, where as corporal punishment,you do it and it’s done.”So ANPPCAN Uganda decided to workdirectly with 20 primary and 10 secondaryschools to help stakeholders createalternatives. They began by conducting astudy to understand prevailing attitudes tocorporal punishment and how that couldcontribute to developing more workablealternatives.“What we found was that it was moreacceptable to show teachers what corporalpunishment does to their children,”Mugumya said. “They are more receptivewhen they learn that it resulted in physicalinjury, that it affected their child’s ability tolearn, rather than coming from a rightsbasedapproach. While we know a rightsbasedperspective is very important, thecommunities are more responsive if youstart with the point of view of showing them12