A VETERAN English teacher Tshepiso Senyane does not believe in corporal punishment.
Tshepiso is one of the best teachers at Tsebo Secondary School at Boiketlo Village in QwaQwa, Free State.
The 57-year-old man started his teaching career 28 years ago. His first job was at Lekgulo Secondary School where he taught English and geography.
It was farfetched for him and his colleagues when the democratic government abolished corporal punishment, which was part of the curriculum and the only way to introduce discipline and ensure smooth teaching and learning.
Tshepiso is considered a very principled teacher who achieved his goal of "to change nobody to somebody through education".
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As a law-abiding citizen, Tshepiso uses a professional mechanism to reprimand his pupils.
"I haven't punished learners for a full 13 years in my teaching career. Corporal punishment evokes violence in society. It causes pain to the pupils. It's also a provocation of disrespect. Many pupils hate mathematics because most maths teachers in the past used corporal punishment to get the best results.
Tshepiso told Daily Sun that teaching is a not a job, but a calling.
"Due to the high unemployment rate in South Africa, many university students choose to become teachers. Most of them ended up participating in wrong doings. Teachers should be men and women of integrity," he said.
The biggest challenge in his career is the regular change of curriculum.
Tshepiso believes that the country is not doing enough to honour teachers as they're the cornerstone of a better life.
"Educators don't get enough recognition in South Africa. Countries like Japan and Germany are perfect examples on how teachers should be treated. Teachers are respected and they deserve more than ministers and doctors," Tshepiso said.
"World Teachers' Day should be treated as the most important day."
