Singapore says teachers can cane students as young as 9 in new anti-bullying strategy

Singapore’s education minister has confirmed that teachers are allowed to use caning to discipline unruly students in certain cases.

“Our schools use caning as a disciplinary measure if all the other measures are inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct,” Desmond Lee said in parliament on Tuesday in response to questions about new anti-bullying measures announced on April 15 – including one asking about the mental health impact of caning children as young as 9 years old.

“They follow strict protocols to ensure safety for the student. For instance, caning must be approved by the principal and administered only by authorised teachers,” he told lawmakers, with the new framework to be rolled out across Singaporean schools from 2027.

“Schools will consider factors such as the maturity of the student and if caning will help the student learn from his mistake and understand the gravity of what he has done,” said Lee.

“Schools exercise discretion on whether to use caning as a disciplinary consequence after assessing the circumstances of the offense committed,” he added.