NRS-17101 | Punishment Books [Moonan Brook Public School]

Regulations under the Public Schools Act of 1866, adopted by the Council [of Education] 27 February 1867 regulated the punishment of children in schools by stipulating: “In the government of the pupils, all degrading and injurious punishments are to be avoided. The Teacher’s discipline must be mild but firm, his manner kindly, his demeanour cheerful and calculated to gain the confidence of his pupils, and his language marked by strict propriety. While he should overlook no offence, his aim should be to prevent the necessity for punishment by the improvement of the offender.”In relation to corporal punishment the regulations continue: “Corporal punishment should be inflicted in extreme cases only, and then as a last resource; and the teacher must keep a record of the time and place at which pupils were corporally chastised, the amount of such punishment and the nature of the offence.”Uniform stationery soon evolved to enable compliance with these regulations. These punishment books are registers of all cases in which corporal punishment was given to pupils. The information they detail includes: the pupil’s name; age; nature of offence; amount of punishment (i.e. number of strokes); instrument of punishment (invariably the cane); the date of the punishment; and by whom the punishment was inflicted.It is likely that an earlier volume, covering the period from 1869 until 1886, is now missing.The earlier of the surviving volumes is much worn, and the high-cellulose paper of which it is composed is becoming fragile. All pages of this volume are now detached and loose within its covers, and the original second leaf, bearing entries for the year 1890 and for most of 1891, is lost. The first leaf of this volume is somewhat tattered, especially at the lower edge. The later volume, by contrast, is in very good condition.

1866年《公立学校法案》所衍生的条例，经教育委员会（Council of Education）于1867年2月27日通过，对学校惩戒学生的行为作出了明确规定："在管理学生时，应避免一切有辱人格且有害的惩戒方式。教师的管教应当温和而坚定，态度友善，举止愉悦且能赢得学生的信任，言语需恪守得体规范。教师虽不应放过任何违纪行为，但他的核心目标应是通过感化违纪者，从根本上避免惩戒的必要。"

关于体罚，该条例进一步规定："体罚仅应在极端情形下使用，且需作为最后的手段；教师必须记录下学生遭受体罚的时间、地点、惩戒强度与违纪性质。"

为合规执行上述条例，标准化的惩戒登记册应运而生。此类惩戒簿记录了所有对学生实施体罚的案例，所载信息包括：学生姓名、年龄、违纪性质、惩戒强度（即鞭打次数）、惩戒工具（始终为藤条）、惩戒日期以及实施惩戒者。

现有资料显示，涵盖1869年至1886年的早期卷册大概率已佚失。现存的早期卷册磨损严重，其所用的高纤维素纸张正逐渐变脆。该卷册的所有页面现已从封皮中脱落，呈松散状态；且原本记载1890年及1891年大部分内容的第二页已遗失。该卷册的首页已有部分破损，尤其是下缘处。相较而言，后期卷册的保存状况极佳。