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PETALING JAYA: Schools should treat caning as a last resort and instead embrace values-based approaches that nurture empathy, understanding and behavioural change, say education groups and parents.
They stressed that discipline should not be rooted in fear or humiliation, but in respect, guidance and consistent communication to help students internalise right and wrong.
This comes after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament yesterday that he personally believes that caning should be carried out in schools, with strict guidelines and controls to prevent abuses.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said while caning may lead to short-term compliance, it fails to build genuine understanding of right and wrong.
“Caning instils fear as a response to threat, not understanding.
“Research shows it can cause anxiety, aggression, shame and damaged relationships between the punisher and the punished,” she said.
She added that fear-based discipline could suppress curiosity and hinder intellectual and emotional growth.
“While many parents feel discipline in schools has weakened, caning should never be the first solution. Children respond best to consistency, guidance and empathy,” she said, adding that corporal punishment must come with strict safeguards to prevent harm or humiliation.
Noor Azimah also pointed out that caning fails to address the root causes of misconduct.
“Bad behaviour must be tackled with rehabilitation and intervention,” she said, calling for restorative approaches such as counselling, mentoring and peer mediation that encourage reflection and empathy.
Malaysian Association for Education secretary Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah said while some see caning as a way to enforce discipline, its effects are largely psychological and counterproductive.
“Students may obey rules only to avoid pain, not because they truly understand right and wrong,” he said.
He warned that corporal punishment can lead to shame, resentment and even trauma.
“Instead of viewing teachers as mentors, students may begin to see them as punishers. This damages the foundation of mutual respect that effective teaching relies on,” he said.
Hamidi urged educators to adopt positive methods such as reinforcement, counselling and modelling good behaviour, which he said were far more effective in nurturing responsible, emotionally balanced students.
A 38-year-old mother of four who only wanted to be known as Hana disagreed with using caning as a disciplinary method, preferring that schools reintroduce exams and other firm measures.
“Schools can be stricter by using exam suspension as a disciplinary action so children learn consequences.
“Phones should also be barred. Only if all these fail should caning be considered,” said Hana, who is from Petaling Jaya.
For software engineer Hesmond Jeet Oon Chee Houng, 35, positive reinforcement and logical consequences are more effective in shaping discipline.
“I’d still prefer to find a way to connect rather than to force. That’s better in the long run,” said the father of one.
Meanwhile, senior bank executive May Shahrin, 41, believed that a combination of traditional and modern methods works best, provided it is tightly regulated.
“The purpose must be correction, not humiliation. It should only be carried out by authorised personnel,” said the mother of two.
