MfD: One-third of Czech teachers slap children

Prague, Nov 24 (CTK) - About 30 percent of teachers at Czech elementary schools have slapped a pupil, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes Thursday, referring to a recent poll conducted by the agency GfK.

"I was surprised at the teachers' openness," GfK CEO Jiri Svoboda has told the paper.

"In fact, they have confessed to using illegal methods," Svoboda said.

Two-thirds of teachers agree with the view that physical punishment does not bring up, but it is often the best solution, MfD writes.

The poll also focused on whether teachers punish physically their own children more often than the rest of parents.

There are 10 percent more of teachers than the rest of the population who do so. However, many of them only slap their own children exceptionally rather than on a regular basis, MfD writes.

On the other hand, among the rest of parents, there is a higher percentage of those who slap their children often rather than exceptionally, the poll has found.

Ban on television watching is the most widely used punishment used by teachers and the rest of the population alike, with 47 and 41 percent, respectively, MfD writes.

It is followed by "dressing down" and the slap, it adds.