Caning is a form of psychological bullying
and teachers used to cane children as a form of discipline.
We had a “rotan” at home and school to remind us that it will be used to mete out punishment if we misbehaved.
Today, with the myriad laws (Penal Code, Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Child Act 2001) to protect the rights of a child, the use of the cane, even in parenting, seems complicated.
Caning or corporal punishment in schools may be culturally and morally accepted in Malaysia but it will soon be a thing of the past through social advancement.
I refer to the recent incident of a teacher caning a female student for allegedly addressing the teacher with a derogatory term, and whose rude behaviour got Netizens riled up.
Many expressed their discontent over the matter through pledging their support for caning to be implemented in schools for disciplinary purposes.
It may look justified for rude behaviour to be punished, but from another perspective, it raises the question of the right of the teacher to respond aggressively to an alleged verbal abuse.
Was it fair for the teacher to inflict pain on a child with discipline as the intention?
The perpetrator may have to face charges for the “physical” assault.
Corporal punishment in schools has been outlawed in 128 countries, including in Europe, most South American countries, as well as Canada, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and South Africa.
Why was it banned if it was the best measure to efficiently discipline a child?
Despite the impulse from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the Malaysian Human Rights Commission to abolish caning in schools following the death of 11-year-old religious student Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi in Johor in 2017, the Education Ministry still retains it due to the shortage of trained counsellors (ratio of students to counsellors is 500:1).
This enabled teachers to address the misbehaviour of students.
Although the educators must follow strict guidelines as laid down by the ministry on corporal punishment, the decision is not right and violates the rights of students.
Teachers and education policymakers often rely on personal anecdotes to argue that caning improves students’ behaviour and achievements.
However, there is a lack of empirical evidence showing that corporal punishment leads to a better learning atmosphere or respect for teachers.
According to the Code of Children and Adolescents by Unicef, the child and adolescent has the right to good treatment, comprising a non-violent upbringing and education and all forms of physical, violent and humiliating punishment are prohibited.
Therefore, caning is considered inhumane and a form of psychological bullying to instil fear.
Teachers must respect students’ rights and needs before instilling good values in them. Patience is a virtue and educators need to comprehend that it is vital in their noble profession.
It is imperative that educators should not resort to aggression unless their safety is jeopardised. In this context, the teacher has failed to handle the emotional stress and resorted to caning.
Educators must also comprehend that suffering from verbal abuse at workplace is not abnormal, therefore they should be trained to manage emotional stress caused by unpleasant student behaviour.