NRS-16553 | Punishment Books [Broke 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 instances of corporal punishment having been given to pupils. The information they detail includes: the pupil’s name; age; nature of offence; amount of punishment (i.e. number of strokes); by whom sent; the date of the punishment; and by whom the punishment was inflicted.In the present series it is noticeable that very few instances of corporal punishment are recorded during the 1940’s, and none at all between 1947 and 1955. Thereafter only one case is entered in 1958, one (involving two offenders) in 1962, and two in 1970.

1866年《公立学校法》所衍生的条例，经教育委员会（Council of Education）于1867年2月27日审议通过，对学校内儿童的惩戒行为作出规制，其中明确规定：“在学生管理工作中，须杜绝一切侮辱性与伤害性惩戒手段。教师的管教方式应温和而坚定，态度需友善亲和，举止应明快爽朗，以赢得学生的信任；其言行举止须严守得体规范。教师虽不应姑息任何违纪行为，但其核心目标应是通过改造违纪者，从根源上避免惩戒的必要。”针对体罚（corporal punishment），该条例进一步补充规定：‘体罚仅得在极端情形下实施，且须作为最后惩戒手段；教师必须留存记录，载明学生遭受体罚的时间、地点、惩戒强度与违纪性质。’为落实上述条例的合规要求，统一制式的惩戒登记册很快应运而生。此类惩戒登记簿即记录所有学生遭受体罚的完整实例，其所详载的信息包括：学生姓名、年龄、违纪性质、惩戒力度（即笞打次数）、呈报人、惩戒实施日期及施惩者。在本数据集系列中，可观察到1940年代体罚记录寥寥无几，1947年至1955年间更是全无相关记录。此后仅1958年录入一例，1962年一例（涉及两名违纪者），1970年两例。