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Singapore Just Approved Caning for School Bullies.
Singapore has introduced new guidelines allowing teachers to cane male students for serious bullying and misconduct, reigniting a global debate over corporal punishment in schools.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema
Singapore has never apologized for being strict. This week it made that very clear once again.
New guidelines unveiled by Singapore's education ministry now allow caning as a disciplinary measure for serious student misconduct including bullying. The policy was debated in parliament on Tuesday and confirmed by Education Minister Desmond Lee.
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The reaction from the rest of the world was immediate.
Under the new framework, teachers are allowed to cane students as young as nine years old in certain cases. The guidelines will be rolled out across Singaporean schools from 2027.
But before the outrage fully lands, here is what the policy actually says.
Caning would be used only as a last resort when all other measures have proven inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct. Offenders could face between one and three strokes.
Caning must receive prior approval from the school principal and may only be carried out by designated teachers. Following caning, counseling and continued monitoring will be provided to support the student's rehabilitation.
There are also limits on who can be caned at all.
Only male students are eligible for caning, in line with Singapore's Criminal Procedure Code, which states that women shall not be punished with caning. Female students face detention, suspension or adjusted conduct grades for serious offenses.
First-time offenders of serious misconduct face one to three days of detention, suspension, an adjusted conduct grade or a combination. Only older boys receive one stroke of the cane if aggravating factors are present.
If you have followed this far, here is the part that explains why this is bigger than one country's school policy.
Singapore has maintained corporal punishment in both its schools and criminal justice system for decades. Adult males can be sentenced to caning for serious crimes including drug trafficking, robbery and sexual offenses. The government's position is that strong punishment has a real effect on crime prevention.
The introduction of these school guidelines follows the same logic. Amid a recent rise in school violence cases, analysts suggest the move reflects a judgment that clear punishment standards and a strong message are needed.
The international community disagrees. Sharply.
Human rights organizations including the United Nations have defined caning as a harsh punishment that violates human dignity and have called for its abolition.
This tension is not new. Singapore has faced it before and held its ground.
In 1993, American teenager Michael Fay was arrested in Singapore for vandalizing cars and sentenced to six strokes of the cane. Then-US President Bill Clinton personally intervened. Singapore reduced the sentence to four strokes but carried out the caning, anyway, maintaining it was important to uphold its own laws even for foreign nationals.
That moment briefly strained US-Singapore relations. Singapore did not change its approach.
Minister Lee told parliament the school context is different from unregulated settings where corporal punishment causes harm. He cited research showing that children and youth learn to make better choices when there are clear boundaries enforced by firm, meaningful consequences.
The debate around that research is far from settled. Critics of corporal punishment point to studies showing it increases aggression rather than reducing it. Supporters point to Singapore's consistently low crime rates as evidence the broader approach works.
What is clear is that Singapore is not softening its position to meet international expectations.
A country that canes adults for drug offenses has now extended that framework into its schools. The rest of the world can debate ethics. Singapore has already made its decision.
Editor's Note: Singapore's new school caning guidelines have reignited a long-standing global debate over corporal punishment, discipline and human rights. As the policy moves toward implementation in 2027, the conversation around what consequences are appropriate for serious student misconduct is unlikely to stay contained within Singapore's borders.
