Knowledge of educational law: an imperative to the teachers practice

Abstract

The nature of teaching exposes teachers to civil liabilities. In the process of teaching teachers need to discipline students who display bad behaviour. In disciplining the students, teachers use a variety of punishments including corporal punishment. Without knowledge of the legal implications of their actions, inadvertently they may find themselves on the wrong side of the law. This paper makes the argument that knowledge of educational law by teachers has now become imperative given the litigiousness of the parents and their children. Over and above the paper’s exhortation for the introduction of educational law to teacher training institutions, it also argues for the provision of in-service courses in educational law to serving teachers as a lifelong or continuous learning endeavour. This is made following the results of a survey that revealed miniscule or no knowledge of educational law among teachers. The data for the investigation were gathered using a questionnaire survey on teachers and school administrators.