School bullies in Singapore face caning

Tourists takes picture with the skyline of Singapore, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

School bullies in Singapore face caning under new guidelines, but the education minister said Tuesday it would be meted out only as a last resort with strict safeguards.

Human rights groups regularly criticize Singapore for the use of corporal punishment, which remains part of both the school system and criminal justice, but authorities have defended it as a deterrent to crime and serious misconduct.

Caning was discussed in parliament Tuesday after legislators asked how it would be used in relation to bullying in schools.

The debate followed stricter guidelines against serious student misconduct, including bullying, unveiled by the education ministry last month.

Under the guidelines, offenders could face between one and three strokes of the cane.

“Our schools use caning as a disciplinary measure if all the other measures are inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct,” Education Minister Desmond Lee said Tuesday.

“They follow strict protocols to ensure safety for the student. For instance, caning must be approved by the principal and administered only by authorized teachers,” he said.

“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.”

The punishment is given only to boys, per “the Criminal Procedure Code, which states that women shall not be punished with caning,” Lee said.

Caning in Singapore is a legacy from British colonial rule, but Britain has long abolished corporal punishment.

After the caning is meted out, the school will “monitor the student’s wellbeing and progress,” including providing counselling, Lee said.

According to a World Health Organization report last year “there is now overwhelming scientific evidence that corporal punishment of children carries multiple risks of harm and has no benefits.”