Overview
- Answering MPs' questions on Tuesday, Education Minister Desmond Lee said caning will be used only when other measures fail and boys may receive one to three strokes for severe bullying.
- Any caning must be approved by the principal, carried out by authorised staff, and followed by monitoring and counselling, with schools weighing the student's maturity and any special needs before deciding.
- The measure applies only to male students under Singapore's legal framework, with officials indicating it is limited to boys in upper primary and older.
- MOE's nationwide framework standardises school sanctions and requires each school to publish an anti-bullying policy by end-2026 and to offer an online reporting platform from 2027, with an Online Safety Commission set to start work by end-June 2026.
- Global health and rights groups cite evidence of harm from corporal punishment and oppose the policy, while Singaporean officials defend it as a deterrent for egregious misconduct.