Some parents have questioned why caning in Singapore schools applies only to boys, after the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced plans to standardise disciplinary measures across schools.<\/p>\n
A former teacher, Ms Tan, was among those who raised concerns after learning that the punishment cannot be administered to female students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should there be a disparity?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
MOE said on April 15 that all schools in Singapore will be required to adopt standardised disciplinary measures to combat bullying by 2027<\/u><\/a>. These include caning and suspension, with caning reserved for male students in upper primary levels and above.<\/p>\n Schools currently have some leeway in handling such cases, but the new mandate aims to ensure greater consistency across the board.<\/p>\n Online reactions to the announcement showed strong support for caning as part of disciplinary measures for offences such as bullying, cheating, gambling, vaping, fighting and drug abuse.<\/p>\n However, some also questioned why caning is restricted to boys. In an April 15 Reddit thread that has more than 130 comments, several users argued that girl-on-girl bullying is \u201coften worse\u201d than boy-on-boy bullying<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOnly boys can do wrong,\u201d one wrote sarcastically, while another said that excluding girls from caning sends the message that women are \u201cweaker\u201d.<\/p>\n Stomp has reached out to MOE for comment.<\/p>\n Ms Tan, who is in her 50s and a mother of two daughters, told Stomp she supports tougher measures to tackle bullying in schools, and believes caning should apply to both boys and girls. <\/p>\n She stressed that discipline should be based on a child\u2019s actions, not their gender, adding that girls should not expect lighter punishment, which boys may see as unfair.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do people think that boys can take caning and girls can\u2019t?\u201d <\/strong>she asked.<\/p>\n She also pointed to non-physical forms of bullying such as emotional and cyberbullying, saying their effects can be as severe, if not worse, than physical bullying, and that girls are equally capable of such behaviour.<\/p>\n Having used physical punishment on her daughters, Ms Tan said she stands by it as an effective way of addressing serious issues \u201cpermanently\u201d.<\/p>\n However, she emphasised that caning should be a \u201cnecessary last resort\u201d after other measures, such as counselling, have been exhausted.<\/p>\n Mr Toh, a retiree in his 60s, said he feels girls should also be caned for certain offences, particularly those involving violence.<\/p>\n He added that unequal consequences may signal to female students that they can get away with the same behaviour.<\/p>\n However, the father of three \u2014 two sons and a daughter \u2014 said it is traditionally \u201cnot wrong\u201d to offer greater protection to women and girls, citing a higher tendency among males to commit such offences. <\/p>\n He also noted that he inflicted slightly harsher physical punishment on his sons than on his daughter.<\/p>\n When it comes to discipline in schools, Mr Toh said parents should not interfere, as it could make it harder for schools to manage such situations.<\/p>\n Ms Tan echoed a similar view, pointing to the differences between school and home settings, and said parents should respect schools\u2019 decisions, as rules differ in each context.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t (respect the school\u2019s decisions), then maybe you should homeschool your kid,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She added that she trusts schools to have processes in place to ensure such measures are carried out with careful consideration.<\/p>\n On the other hand, some parents strongly oppose caning altogether.<\/p>\n A mother of two young children, who declined to be named, told Stomp she strongly disagrees with corporal punishment, regardless of gender.<\/p>\n She described MOE\u2019s new measures as \u201cdisappointing\u201d, adding that the way parents and schools discipline children needs to change.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that we need to cane our boys to improve their behaviour is incredibly backward, genderist and misinformed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She added that inflicting pain does little to help children who have made poor choices, and at best offers only a temporary fix.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are using (caning) as a form of deterrence and fear, to bend children to their will,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n While she acknowledged that parents may choose whether to use physical punishment at home, she stressed that it is \u201cdefinitely not okay\u201d for someone else \u2014 schools or teachers \u2014 to \u201cdecide that they have the power to enforce corporal punishment on students\u201d.<\/p>\n Parenting expert Kelly Tay, who goes by @juicy.parenting on social media, also voiced her concerns in a video posted on April 16 titled, \u201cSG is getting bullying all wrong\u201d<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n She criticised MOE\u2019s move to standardise caning, saying it \u201cmakes no sense\u201d as it teaches children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are literally modelling the exact behaviour we are trying to stop,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She also pointed to a \u201cgender double standard\u201d, noting that girls cannot be caned in Singapore schools, \u201cbut it\u2019s cool for boys\u201d.<\/p>\n In Singapore, only male students may be subjected to caning<\/u><\/a>, with penalties ranging from one to three strokes on the palms or buttocks over clothing.<\/p>\n Even in the case of judicial caning<\/u><\/a>, female offenders, as well as men over the age of 50, are exempt.<\/p>\n Stomp has reached out to Ms Tay for comment.<\/p>\n Speaking to Stomp, Aarathi Arumugam, COO of child wellbeing movement EveryChild.SG, said that while the organisation understands MOE\u2019s push for a stronger and more consistent approach to bullying, it does not believe caning supports the goal of ensuring every child feels safe in schools.<\/p>\n She said neither boys nor girls should be caned, citing research showing that corporal punishment can cause psychological harm regardless of gender.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that boys can \u2018handle it\u2019 better because they may be physically stronger misses the point,\u201d she said, adding that such punishment can trigger a child\u2019s \u201cfight or flight\u201d stress response.<\/p>\n She noted that children who hurt others are often themselves hurt first. <\/p>\n While this does not excuse bullying, she said \u201crestorative practices\u201d \u2014 such as counselling and behaviour coaching \u2014 are more effective in the long term than physical punishment, which may only temporarily deter behaviour.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren are less likely to feel the urge to bully others when they feel safe, seen, wanted, and included in their school community.\u201d<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u2018Discipline should be based on actions, not gender\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Backward, genderist and misinformed\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Physical punishment triggers a child\u2019s stress response\u2019: EveryChild.SG<\/h2>\n
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