Its president Ali Hasan said the punishment should be carried out fairly and witnessed by the headmaster and parents.
“To improve the proposal, I would suggest that parents or guardians be present to witness the caning,” he told FMT.
Hulu Terengganu MP Rosol Wahid proposed the reintroduction of caning in schools yesterday as an educational and preventive measure against bullying, adding however that it must not cause injury.
Guidelines for caning in schools, under the Education (School Discipline) Regulations 1959, state that only the headmaster or an authorised teacher may administer the punishment, which must be carried out in private.
Caning is permitted only for male students aged 10 to 18, and the cane used must be light, serving an educational purpose rather than to inflict injury, while female students are exempt.
The punishment also cannot be carried out in public or during school assemblies, as stipulated in the ministry’s Circular No. 7/2003.
However, Ali said that caning was not the only way to address disciplinary issues, including bullying, and that schools should adopt a softer approach towards students.
“I think counselling sessions are better. Schools should hold such sessions with students and ensure that there are enough counselling teachers to match the number of students enrolled,” he said.
International Islamic University Malaysia lecturer Ainol Madziah Zubairi however disagreed, saying that caning to punish students was an “unwise move”.
She said the root cause of bullying lay in psychological issues among students who struggle to control their emotions, feel superior to others, and are influenced by violent video games and films.
She said a more effective measure would be to re-evaluate the education system, especially at the early childhood stage up to adolescence, by emphasising moral, spiritual and ethical education.
“As a step forward in the near future, a support system needs to be established for school students who feel that they may be experiencing harassment due to bullying,” she said.
Ainol also suggested that the education ministry develop a special application to allow victims of bullying to report the level of stress they are experiencing.
The app should also provide early information to help the authorities detect, prevent, and monitor bullying cases before they become more serious, she said.