St. Lucia government has issued a statement saying it plans to abolish corporal punishment in its schools. The statement was issued by the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations, and Sustainable Development. In the statement, the government said it had already suspended corporal punishment and is in the process of abolishing it finally.
Ruffina Charles, the St. Lucia Education Minister, said there was no established policy in the Education Act regarding the abolishment of corporal punishment. The Act, however, states how it must be administered. He, however, said that the new convention should ensure that terms are properly stated, especially how children should be protected.
A working committee has been established which has been saddled with the responsibility of making decisions about the initiatives and implementation of the abolition of corporal punishment. Part of the initiatives includes educating the general public as well as training educators.
Since 2007, when the Ministry established the Child-Friendly School initiative, two schools have been added yearly.
