When I was in school back in the eighties, the cane was the trademark of any 'proper' school. In other words, cane and school were twin brothers
When I was in Standard Four, for instance, my Mathematics teacher world 'burst' into class, a nyahunyo (Maasai whip made from car tyres) dangling under his arm and he would menacingly cry out, "Stand up...Tables!" This was a signal that we were to start reciting the Mathematical multiplication tables. Anyone showing signs of not knowing what was going on would be descended upon by his whip. I was a victim of the swish of his whip almost everyday: numbers and mathematical signs were as Greek (!) to me. We got used to such treatment and never at one time thought that our rights (what were children's rights at that time - they were gathering dust in the United Nations books) were being infringed on.
Read more as Richard Mbuthia hopes that the ban on corporal punishment in schools is not lifted.
