Every educational institution is primarily a training house. Good institutions transfer good values to the students/trainees that are good for the future of the student/trainee. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).
Disciplinary action is an essential tool for managing unwanted behavior in the workplace. In ancient Indian political and strategic philosophy, the four actions of Saam (dialogue), Daam (persuasion), Dand (coercion) and Bhed (alienation) were very significant. These are processes through which training can be implemented. They were also used in bilateral relations among nations, employer-employee interactions and training houses.
Although there are many processes involved in instilling discipline among the students/trainees in comparison to mature employees, monetary penalties, like fines, are always justified to be most effective. Compared to any other steps, it discourages people from repeating the offence by making it financially undesirable. A significant fine can temporarily limit an offender's ability to continue her/his carelessness due to financial strain.
As a means to deter future misconduct by imposing a financial cost on the offender and thereby acting as a punishment proportional to the offence, financial penalties have brought stability and quality to many nations and organizations. However, its effectiveness can be debated based on factors like the offender's ability to pay and the severity of the violation.
Some of the following points are worth considering in relation to financial penalties.
1. A student/trainer/employee should be aware of the pros and cons of offence2. An educational institution/government/firm/trainer should make the policies transparent at least through an internal note 3. Decisions on financial penalties should be objective.4. A student/trainer/employee should not take anything for granted. For, St. Paul writes, ‘but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified’ (1 Corinthians 9:27).
In a transparent system where the penalties are not arbitrary, one must note that the penalties are not income-generating mechanisms for the institutions. If people comply with the rules and regulations, there will not be a fine.
I like the way credit card companies use penalty policies. They have a combination of late payment fees, higher interest rates, and over-limit fees. Additional charges are levied when cardholders don't pay their due on time as late payment charges. Late payment charges can damage one’s credit score and lead to interest accrual. Many credit card companies levy a penalty interest rate if a payment is due for over 60 days. The penalty rate may be as high as 50% of the outstanding bill amount. A penalty is charged by credit card companies when cardholders' purchases exceed their credit limit. All these are imposed after one enjoys the privilege of purchasing without cash in hand. Does a credit card company accept any apologies for the late payment or for crossing the credit limit? If students are going to face the world, they should be aware of the things in the world. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid (Proverbs 12:1).
If a student’s/trainee's performance remains unsatisfactory, she/he should receive penalties of various levels depending on the expected outcome of the training. However, the student/trainee can always leave the training if she/he is unsatisfied with the system. It is said, “if you throw peanuts, you will get only monkeys”. If your discipline is diluted, you will not get the expected outcome.” Mr Narendra Modi, is the prime minister of India for three consecutive terms. It is heard that he works for nearly 19 hours a day. Ms Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister for the third time, is also working around 20 hours a day. Many successful sportspersons, including some Olympians, engaged in financial penalty-based training. A well-disciplined hard work, with a clear view of what is at a loss if they do not work hard, is the simple justification for their success. It is said in the Bible, ‘whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him’ (Proverbs 13:24).
Jesus said, ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and God what belongs to God (Mark 12:17). If you want to be smart in the world, do smart things of the world and get trained in the hardest way.
