Overview
- Education Minister Desmond Lee, speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, said caning will be used only when other measures fail and only under principal approval by authorised staff.
- The measure applies to boys in line with law that bars caning of girls, with offenders facing one to three strokes depending on the severity of the case.
- Schools will pair any caning with follow-up checks, counselling, and rehabilitation support, with extra safeguards for students with special needs or mental health conditions.
- To standardise discipline, MOE will require every school to adopt updated anti-bullying policies by end-2026 and is building an offence management system with added funding for support staff.
- Online reporting routes are being expanded, with an Online Safety Commission set to open by end-June 2026 and school-specific reporting platforms planned from 2027.