THE debate on corporal punishment in schools will go on as long as the human race exists, so all we can do is to find a solution that works best for us. Many believe that the cane is useful to restore order in the classroom, but others say it is a primitive and brutal punishment. Debate on this perennial subject keeps coming back because of the erosion of adult authority in too many schools, raising public concern about indiscipline. The situation is not peculiar to Malaysia; it exists in many countries in the world. The move to empower principals to carry out disciplinary action against unruly students comes against a backdrop of increasing cases of disruptive behaviour, including bullying, among students. The action is part of an amendment to existing regulations under the Education (School Discipline) Regulations 1959, which is under the Education Ordinance 1957, to address disciplinary issues. The changes will take into account the collection of 50 discipline-related procedures and circulars since 1959. The new regulations will include caning and warnings, among other discipline techniques for use on difficult youngsters. The authorities may also want to consider greater use of back-to-basics measures, such as detention, standing in the corner and forcing badly behaved children to write lines.
The Education Ministry currently permits caning under the supervision or with the permission of a principal in a controlled environment. A 2003 circular explains that the cane is only a disciplinary tool to rehabilitate wayward students without harming his physical and mental health. Under no circumstances may the headmaster or discipline teacher use it to give vent to his anger or as payback for a perceived misdeed. And, public caning is strictly prohibited. Educators say present caning rules are out of date and a review that clearly defines wrongdoings and their punishments is sorely needed. Teachers need clear guidelines to sort out the confusion, they say. The goal is to determine the correct penalty for a particular offence. Discretion must be exercised when meting out punishment, especially for caning.
Caning youngsters as a corrective measure has many supporters who believe in the philosophy of “spare the rod and spoil the child”. Interestingly, some secondary school students in England gave their approval for the reintroduction of caning, according to a survey of 2,000 parents and 530 children.
It is easy to blame teachers for the indiscipline in schools, but anecdotal evidence suggests that young Malaysians today accord their teachers little respect. A young and inexperienced teacher may become a victim of bullying in the classroom and may leave the profession out of sheer frustration. But, as some educators point out, schools can only operate within the communities they serve and poor discipline often results from factors outside of the school. Much of the blame lies with parents, and not with teachers. Guilty parents must face up to this fact and take responsibility for the actions of their unmanageable children. Parent-teacher associations must play a bigger role in tackling the increasing problem of classroom disorder. The aim is not to make school life miserable but to show ill-behaved youngsters that their actions will have consequences.