Free Access | May 2026

Corporal Punishment and Learning Outcomes: Evidence from Primary Schools in Uganda.

Authors/Editors: Regean Mugume

Abstract:

This paper examines the impact of corporal punishment on learning outcomes in primary schools in Uganda. Using nationally representative pupil and school-level data linked to household information, I exploit exogenous variation in awareness campaigns as an instrument for corporal punishment to identify causal effects. On average, exposure to corporal punishment reduces the probability of being proficient in English by 6.6 percentage points and in mathematics by 7.7 percentage points. Moreover, the negative effect of corporal punishment is strongest in communities in which corporal punishment is socially disapproved, while it is comparatively smaller in areas in which corporal punishment is normalized. These findings underscore the need to pair enforcement with interventions that shift social norms and promote non-violent discipline in schools