NRS-16597 | Punishment Books [Bunnan 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 it details includes: the pupil’s name; age; nature of offence; amount of punishment (i.e. number of strokes); the instrument of punishment (invariably the cane); the date of the punishment; and by whom the punishment was inflicted.The present series is represented by one volume, probably the second of an original two. It is noticeable in this volume that the frequency of corporal punishment falls off quite distinctly between 1918 and 1938, during which period there is only one year with as many as three cases recorded, and several years with none at all. The frequency is higher during the years 1944-1948, 1957-1960, and in 1964, but only two cases occur between 1948 and 1957, none at all between 1960 and 1964, and only three between 1964 and the closure of the school in 1973.

1866年《公立学校法案》（Public Schools Act of 1866）项下的惩戒条例，由教育委员会（Council of Education）于1867年2月27日通过，对学校惩戒学生的行为作出明确规范，其中规定："在管理学生时，应杜绝一切侮辱性与伤害性惩戒手段。教师的管教须温和而坚定，态度友善，举止开朗，旨在赢得学生的信任，其言语需严格恪守礼仪规范。教师虽不应放过任何违纪行为，但其核心目标应是通过感化违纪者，从根源上避免惩戒的必要。"
针对体罚（corporal punishment），该条例进一步作出限定："体罚仅可在极端情形下使用，且需作为最终处置手段；教师必须留存完整记录，载明学生遭受体罚的时间、地点、惩戒强度以及违纪性质。"
为满足该条例的合规要求，标准化的惩戒登记簿很快被推广使用。此类登记簿完整记录了所有对学生实施体罚的案例，收录的详细信息包括：学生姓名、年龄、违纪事由、惩戒强度（即鞭击次数）、惩戒工具（始终为藤条）、惩戒日期以及实施惩戒的人员。
本数据集仅存单卷，推测为原始两卷中的第二卷。值得注意的是，该卷中体罚的发生频次在1918年至1938年间出现显著下滑，此期间仅有1年的记录案例多达3起，另有数年未出现任何体罚记录。1944年至1948年、1957年至1960年以及1964年，体罚发生率有所回升，但1948年至1957年间仅发生2起，1960年至1964年间则完全未出现体罚记录，1964年至学校1973年关停期间也仅发生3起。