Forum: Does caning young children nurture responsible adults?

I am concerned over the Ministry of Education’s disclosure that a Primary 3 pupil aged nine was caned following a bullying incident at Sengkang Green Primary School (

3 Sengkang Green pupils suspended for bullying classmate; with 1 of them caned: MOE

, Aug 20).

While the bullying behaviour was severe, the use of corporal punishment on a young child warrants urgent reconsideration.

Although some earlier research suggested that corporal punishment might promote compliance, these effects were found to be temporary and not sustained.

Modern evidence shows that corporal punishment does not foster accountability, self-control, or moral development, and instead is consistently associated with harm. A 2022 study by the Singapore Children’s Society and Yale-NUS College found that while nearly half of parents reported using physical discipline in the past year, around 70 per cent of them regarded it as generally ineffective, and many young adults who had experienced it recalled strained relationships with their parents.

Rather than resorting to corporal punishment, a thorough examination of the underlying reasons for such behaviour – with input from specialists such as child psychologists, developmental paediatricians and social workers – could help uncover predisposing factors and guide constructive interventions.

Singapore aspires to nurture resilient and responsible individuals. We should ask whether caning young children reflects that aspiration or undermines it.

Alvin Ngeow Jia Hao (Dr)