Try care instead of the cane, teachers urged

PETALING JAYA: There must be another way for teachers to discipline students without resorting to corporal punishment, said a child therapist.

Priscilla Ho said teachers could connect with their students through compassion and by being caring to groom them, instead of instilling fear.

She was commenting on Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid’s statement that school heads are allowed to delegate the caning of students to a teacher if necessary.

However Mahdzir said the caning must not be done in public and must be carried out according to stipulated procedures.

Ho said the ministry should consider reviewing the education system to have values such as care and compassion as part of teaching and learning.

“Knowing teachers are stressed out from the burden of work, the system should be revamped.

“Everybody needs to come together and be creative in their approach,” she said.

She said that caning a student privately does not do any good because perception plays an important role.

“Once you are called out in front of your classmates, there is already an impression that you are a troublemaker.

“It affects the child’s self esteem and many students are put to shame,” she said, adding that some students were traumatised after witnessing the caning of a classmate.

There is always a better way to discipline a student, she said.

Peter Selvaraju, 57, a parent, believes that only school heads or discipline teachers should have the right to cane students.

“Teachers are overburdened with work and may enter classrooms without being in the right mood.

“They might take out their anger on the students when caning them,” he said.

Another parent, Mohd Ashik Abdullah, 42, said caning students was a rational punishment.

“Doing it to teach and remind them not to repeat their mistakes is fine but it should not be an avenue for teachers to release their anger on students.

“Punishment must not harm the students,” he said.

In Seremban, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon said teachers are only allowed to cane problematic students after having exhausted all other avenues to discipline them.

“Teachers must also make an attempt to speak to their parents and even send the students for detention class or counselling before resorting to the cane,” he said.