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Can schools teach kindness and respect while practising caning?
The question is not whether bullying needs to be curbed, but how best to address the problem.
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Long-term studies have linked childhood corporal punishment to higher risks of anxiety, depression and poorer emotional regulation in adulthood, even in otherwise supportive environments, say the writers.
PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
Pamela See and Amrit Kaur
The Ministry of Education’s move to standardise caning and suspension as disciplinary options across all schools by 2027 reflects a clear intent: to respond to bullying decisively and consistently.
Few would dispute that aim. Bullying can have serious and lasting consequences for its victims, and schools must act firmly to protect students and uphold safe environments.
