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Teachers in this developed country can beat students as part of an anti-bullying strategy

2026-05-07 19:30:55Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Teachers in this developed country can beat students as part of an anti-bullying
Singapore

Singapore says teachers can use caning on students from the age of 9 as part of a new anti-bullying strategy.

Singapore's Education Minister, Desmond Lee, confirmed that teachers are allowed to use caning as a disciplinary measure against problem students in certain cases.

“Our schools use caning as a disciplinary measure if all other measures prove insufficient, considering the seriousness of the misbehavior,” Lee said in parliament on Tuesday, responding to questions about new anti-bullying measures announced on April 15 — including a question about the potential impact on the mental health of 9-year-olds who are physically punished.

"They follow strict protocols to ensure student safety. For example, caning must be approved by the principal and carried out only by authorized teachers," he told lawmakers, adding that the new framework will be implemented in all Singapore schools from 2027.

“Schools will consider factors such as the student’s maturity and whether caning will help him learn from the mistake and understand the seriousness of his action,” Lee said.

“Schools exercise discretion whether to use caning as a disciplinary measure after assessing the circumstances of the offense committed,” he added.

“This approach is based on research showing that children and young people learn to make better choices when there are clear boundaries enforced with strong and meaningful consequences,” Lee said, claiming this helps reduce bullying.

The guidelines, published on the Ministry of Education's website, specify that only male students can be punished with a cane.

"Caning is a disciplinary option for boys only and only for serious offenses, as a last resort, when absolutely necessary," it says.

Corporal punishment in schools has become increasingly rare in many parts of the world over recent decades.

However, the World Health Organization has estimated that between a quarter and a half of children in the world experience corporal punishment in schools and has called for a ban on the practice.

"The consequences of corporal punishment on children can last a lifetime and harm physical and mental health, education, and social and occupational functioning," the WHO said in a report published in August 2025.

"There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that corporal punishment of children carries many risks of harm and has no benefits for children, parents or societies," the organization added.

Singapore, a small, highly developed and wealthy financial center in Southeast Asia, is known for its strict laws.

In late April, a French teenager was charged with two felonies that could land him in prison for up to two years after allegedly licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and then putting it back in the dispenser. It's not the first time a young foreigner has run afoul of Singapore's strict laws.

One of the most famous cases occurred in 1993, when American Michael Fay was arrested for possession of stolen goods and vandalizing several cars with spray paint.

Fay, who was 18 at the time, was sentenced to four months in prison and six strokes of the cane, a sentence later reduced to four strokes after the case sparked international outcry and the intervention of then-US President Bill Clinton.

Singapore implemented the punishment despite strong pressure from the US, insisting that it was important to apply its own laws to foreign nationals as well, which temporarily strained relations between the US and Singapore.


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