Iraq orders ban on use of 'corporal punishment' in schools

The ministry has directed schools to "stay away" from using "corporal punishment against students."
Iraq’s education minister, Ali Hamid, during a meeting of top ministry officials and multiple senior provincial education administrators. (Photo: Ministry of Education)
Iraq’s education minister, Ali Hamid, during a meeting of top ministry officials and multiple senior provincial education administrators. (Photo: Ministry of Education)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq's Minister of Education, Ali Hamid, has ordered a ban on the use of "corporal punishment" in schools, a ministry statement said.

The decision came during a meeting of top ministry officials and multiple senior provincial education administrators.

The ministry has directed schools to "stay away" from using "corporal punishment against students" and "find the most appropriate ways to combat this phenomenon," the statement said, condemning violence against students.

It added that the ministry is "serious" about coming up with "the best frameworks" for teacher-student relations.

In 2018, the Iraqi High Commission For Human Rights (IHCHR) expressed its concern about rising incidents of violence by teachers against schoolchildren in the country, days after reports suggested a teacher beat a seven-year-old girl in a Baghdad school.

Read More: Iraqi commission calls on schools to stop teachers from beating students