School Bullies in Singapore Face Caning
MOE says the punishment will be used only for serious misconduct under strict safeguards, with girls facing detention, suspension or grade adjustments instead.
- On Tuesday, Singapore's Parliament discussed new Ministry of Education anti-bullying measures, with Education Minister Desmond Lee confirming caning remains a last-resort disciplinary tool for boys involved in egregious violations.
- Schools follow strict protocols when caning is considered, Lee said, noting it is "never administered in isolation but always as part of a suite of restorative and disciplinary measures."
- Under the Criminal Procedure Code, girls are exempt from caning, facing detention or suspension instead; for boys, the measure requires principal approval and administered only by authorized teachers.
- Citing a World Health Organization report that corporal punishment carries "multiple risks of harm," human rights groups criticize the practice, though Lee defended it as having a "positive impact" on school safety.
- The ministry is expanding anti-bullying efforts to digital spaces, with students gaining ability to report online harassment to the Online Safety Commission when it becomes operational by end-June 2026.
14 Articles
14 Articles
The Singapore Ministry of Education announced this week that boys who harass other students in schools will be punished with rods by their teachers, as an extreme disciplinary measure in the face of bullying.
Caning will be used in schools only against boys – and not all, as it applies to those aged 9-12. Under the new regulations, currently being discussed in Parliament, students face up to three strokes of the cane. Education Minister Desmond Lee assured that caning will only be used "when all other measures prove insufficient in view of the gravity of the offence." The school will then "monitor the well-being and progress of such a punished studen…
Singapore has once again tightened the string between discipline and pedagogy. In a city-state where extreme public order is a sign of identity, the government has decided...
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