The Socio-Historical Context of In-School Corporal Punishment in a KwaZulu-Natal Setting

This article presents part of the results of an investigation into barriers to learning in the context of HIV in Richmond, a small KwaZulu-Natal town. Participants were learners from Grades 3,6, and 9(N=117; males=59; females=58). Data were collected by individual interviews and a four-stage focus group process, which included participatory and projective techniques. The data were analysed thematically. The results suggest that many educators and parents continue to use physical punishment as a form of social control. This is despite the fact that corporal punishment is outlawed in South African schools. Corporal punishment appears to be a product of the socio-cultural and socio-historical contexts in which it occurs.