Corpun file 19807

Independent on line, South Africa, 3 September 2007

Students may get public caning

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia announced on Monday it is considering re-introducing the previously banned act of public caning in schools as a deterrent to undisciplined students, an official news report said.

Currently, school principals are allowed to cane trouble-making students but only in a private room with another teacher present as a witness, Deputy Education Minister Noh Omar said.

"We need to discuss the matter and take into consideration that public caning was introduced in 1959," Noh was quoted by the Bernama news agency as saying in parliament on Monday.

The government banned public caning in 2004 but allowed school headmasters to cane students in their rooms with a witness.

Noh was responding to calls by teachers and parents for the government to enforce stricter rules to control undisciplined students, especially those found to have a history of violence and bullying.

One local lawmaker recently suggested that public caning would be effective in stopping students from creating serious disciplinary problems as their image would be tarnished in front of other students.

Noh said the government would consider all other options before deciding on whether to reverse the ban on public caning.

"All principals of fully residential schools will be given courses to remind them of the dangers of ragging or 'orientation,'" he said.

"We will also invite the police to give talks to the senior students on the matter before the new school term begins."

Recently, several cases of bullying by older students have been highlighted in the local media with many of the young victims suffering from serious injuries and sometimes even death. - Sapa-DPA

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