In a written parliamentary reply to Jerlun MP Abd Ghani Ahmad, the education ministry said that existing regulations allow caning as a form of punishment for students who bully others, but that this can only be carried out by headmasters or authorised teachers.

The ministry said caning is subject to strict guidelines as outlined in the Education (School Discipline) Regulations 1959 and Circular 7/2003: Power of Teachers to Cane Students.

Female students cannot be caned, and canings should not be carried out in public or during school assemblies, said the ministry.

Ghani had asked the ministry whether it was willing to allow the guardians of bullied students to cane the bullies during school assemblies.

“A more effective approach is to strengthen the communication between schools and parents to ensure that disciplinary issues are handled more tactfully and effectively,” said the ministry.

The ministry said it is focused on a holistic approach to addressing disciplinary issues at school by developing students’ character and teaching them the importance of mutual respect.

The ministry also said it conducts intervention programmes for students with disciplinary issues.

It said that a constructive approach involving counseling and reinforcing good values is more effective in shaping students with strong character and integrity.

“Through this approach, students are not only taught to understand the consequences of their actions but are also nurtured with proper manners and ethics,” said the ministry.