Male school students in Singapore who engage in bullying will now face caning as a “last resort” under new government guidelines.
The new rules, which were discussed in parliament on Tuesday, allow for male students to receive up to three strokes of the cane. Education Minister Desmond Lee informed lawmakers that this measure would only be implemented if all other measures are deemed inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct, reports The Guardian.
The guidelines specify that caning will be restricted to male students aged nine and above, starting from the upper primary levels. Lee explained that this aligns with the country’s criminal procedure code, which prohibits the caning of women. Instead of corporal punishment, female students will face consequences such as detention, suspension, or adjustments to their conduct grades.
To ensure student safety, the process will follow strict protocols. Any instance of caning must be approved by the school principal and administered only by authorised teachers. In deciding whether to proceed, schools will evaluate the student’s maturity and determine if the punishment will help the individual understand the seriousness of his actions and learn from the mistake.
Following the administration of the punishment, schools are required to monitor the student’s wellbeing and progress, which includes providing counselling.
These new measures follow a year-long review focused on bullying, initiated after several high-profile school bullying incidents gained significant public attention last year.
Judicial caning was first introduced to Singapore by British colonialists in the 19th century and remains a legal punishment for male offenders under 50 for crimes such as robbery, scamming, or overstaying a visa.
However, the move has met with potential criticism from international bodies. Unicef, the United Nations’ agency for children, opposes the use of corporal punishment, arguing that it harms the physical and mental health of children and leads to increased behavioural problems.
Similarly, a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) last year described corporal punishment as “alarmingly widespread” and a cause of significant harm to child development. The WHO estimates that approximately 1.2 billion children aged 0-18 years are subjected to corporal punishment at home every year.
