Singapore Education Minister Desmond Lee introduced new guidelines in parliament on Tuesday allowing male school students aged nine and above who bully others, including through cyberbullying, to face up to three strokes of the cane as a last resort. Female students will instead receive punishments such as detention or suspension, adjustment of their conduct grade, and other school-based consequences.
The measures follow a year-long review focused on bullying and were introduced after several school bullying incidents drew public attention last year. After caning is imposed, schools will monitor the student's wellbeing and progress, including providing counselling.
"Caning would only be applied if all the other measures are inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct," Lee said during the parliamentary discussion. He said schools would weigh the circumstances before resorting to the punishment.
"Schools will consider factors such as the maturity of the student and if caning will help the student learn from his mistake and understand the gravity of what he has done," Lee said. He outlined safeguards governing how the punishment would be carried out.
"They follow strict protocols to ensure safety for the student. For instance, caning must be approved by the principal and administered only by authorised teachers," he said.
Judicial caning continues to be used in Singapore for male offenders under 50, for crimes such as robbery, scamming, or overstaying a visa by 90 days. The practice was first introduced by British colonialists in the 19th century.
International groups such as Unicef oppose the use of corporal punishment for children, saying it harms their physical and mental health and increases behavioural problems over time. A report released by the World Health Organization last year said that corporal punishment remained widespread globally and caused harm to children's health and development. The report estimated that 1.2 billion children aged 0 to 18 are subjected to corporal punishment at home each year worldwide.