The News, Adelaide, 11 June 1959

Only one says he'd strap schoolgirls

The Education Department says "No."

The Victorian Teachers' Union says "No."

The Victorian Secondary Teachers' Association says "No."

He is one of 250 teachers asked by the association to give their opinions on corporal punishment.

He said if boys can be strapped then girls should suffer as well. In fact, the worst girls were worse than the worst boys!

But his ideas will not be put into practice.

The chief inspector of secondary schools, Mr. G.R. Mills, said: "Girls in our 198 secondary schools are never strapped. It is against the regulations."

As far as he knew, the department had never had a report of a teacher strapping a girl, Mr. Mills said.

Big problem

The secretary of the Victorian Teachers' Union, Mr. D. Schubert, said: "We agree with the Education Department that corporal punishment should not be used on girls."

Teachers in State, private, secondary, and technical schools used it -- on boys -- only in cases of grave misconduct.

The secretary of the VSTA Mr. R.O. Desailly, said that the teacher's opinion was not that of the association.

The problem was accentuated by conditions of overcrowding and depleted staffs.