Tackling corporal punishment: Ha's story
Positive teaching methods help child development
When Ha was 9 years old, he was left to live with this grandfather after his parents moved away to work in a different province in Vietnam.
The impact of the change was that Ha became rude and misbehaved. He was beaten as punishment at school and at home and the more he was beaten, the worse his behaviour became.
Positive discipline
Eventually Ha started a new class and was taught by Mr Long, who unlike Ha's previous teachers was trained by Plan in positive discipline. Training included understanding children's behaviour in class and looked at practical and positive alternative methods of discipline.
With helpful guidance from Mr Long, Ha eventually began to open up about his past and spoke of how he wanted his parents to return.
Top prize
Mr Long persuaded Ha's mother to return home and take care of him and his sister. Since that time, Ha's schoolwork had improved so much that he won the top prize in mathematics at school and began participating in other activities like sports and the student council.
A headteacher at a Plan Vietnam positive discipline workshop commented:
"It is very common in Vietnam for people to say the sentence 'spare the rod, spoil the child', but we know the rod is not making the child better. In fact, the long term effect on the child is very serious"
Teacher challenge
Corporal punishment violates the rights of children. Ha's story shows that learning under threat of physical punishment can harm a child's development. In many countries around the world, corporal punishment is not only acceptable but is considered essential to guide and discipline children.
Recognition of child rights is happening, but slowly; political commitment has already been made in Vietnam as it was the first country in Asia and the second in the world to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Plan Vietnam is supporting the government's efforts to protect the rights of children all over Vietnam by launching projects promoting positive discipline and effective communication rather than physical punishment to discipline children.
