In praise of anti-corporal punishment campaigner Sir Frank Peters

Corporal punishment goes under the surface

Dear Sir,

I am a Class 10 student.

Some weeks ago our Sir requested us to give a three-minute talk on someone whom we admired most, living or dead, Bengali or foreign.

Many students spoke about Bangabandhu and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but three of the students (Abdullah Chowdhury, Shanto Islam, and me) spoke about Sir Frank Peters whom we read many stories about in GreenWatch and in English language newspapers and Shanto met and spoke with him on one occasion in Gulshan.

Sir Frank Peters

Abdullah said he admired him because of his anti corporal campaign, which has benefitted many students throughout Bangladesh and Shanto spoke much the same and described him as a gentleman and a modern day hero to young people.

My brother, Mostafa, was beaten so badly by a schoolteacher one time that he hated going to school and refused to go, even after mum and dad threatened and hit him, but he would run away from home and not return until dinner times.

Dad then went to the school and spoke to the teacher and warned him never to hit Mostafa again. Mostafa went back to school and was never given corporal punishment from that day onwards. Now Mostafa likes school and has many friends there and he is Roll No. 4 in the class.

I told the class about what happened to Mostafa and thanked Sir Peters because it was in one of his reports he recommended the father of the student should meet with the teacher and tell him ‘no hitting’ under any circumstances.

If Sir Peters reads this we would like him to know there are many students throughout Bangladesh who are grateful to him for his efforts to banish corporal punishment and I am so proud that he calls himself half-Bangladeshi, it is an honor to have him.

On behalf of my family, brother Mostafa (especially), Abdullah Chowdhury, Shanto Islam, and me I wish Sir Frank Peters a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Merry Christmas Sir Frank!

Ali Islam

Abdullah Chowdhury,

Shanto Islam

Mohammadpur