Singapore is considered one of the safest and cleanest cities in the world – partly because of its rigorous punishments.Image: keystone
Singapore is known for its strict laws and punishments. Now a new anti-bullying measure in schools is causing a stir: teachers should be allowed to punish nine-year-old boys with the cane.
May 7, 2026, 7:05 a.mMay 7, 2026, 7:26 am
Singapore’s radical punishments and laws are world-famous and notorious: years of prison sentences and even the death penalty for drug offenses, dozens of strokes of the cane for violent crimes or rape and hefty fines ranging from 300 to 10,000 Singapore dollars (approx. 185 to 6,150 francs) for littering or chewing gum (commercial chewing gum is illegal in Singapore).
Now the Southeast Asian city-state is causing a stir again with a new punitive measure. In the future, teachers will be allowed to punish boys aged nine and over with a rattan stick. This is part of new anti-bullying measures for schools, according to Education Minister Desmond Lee CNN announced in Parliament on Tuesday.
According to the new rules, students who bully others should be punished as a “last resort” with a maximum of three lashes. The measure can also be ordered by teachers for cyberbullying. The corporal punishment should only be used for high school students; girls are completely excluded from it.
Education Minister Lee spoke in Parliament on a new strategy against bullying in schools announced in April. Lawmakers and international child protection organizations raised concerns about the long-term effects of caning on the physical and mental health of nine-year-old children.
Desmond Lee is Singapore’s education minister.Image: www.imago-images.de
According to Lee, the cane punishment would only be imposed “if all other measures are inadequate given the seriousness of the misconduct.” Teachers would have to follow strict protocols before they could approve the punishment. In addition, the consent of the respective school principal is always required, Lee tried to refute concerns.
International organizations such as Unicef and the United Nations Children’s Fund had previously clearly criticized the project Guardian reported. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), well over a billion children worldwide are physically punished at home every year. According to the WHO, physical punishment “significantly” damages the health and development of children.
According to Singapore’s Education Minister, “advice services” will be made available to any affected students after the implementation, and their “well-being and progress” will be monitored. There are also measures for bullying students; they should be punished with detention or worse behavioral grades.
Singapore has complained about several high-profile cases of bullying in recent years, and suicides by young people have been linked to bullying on several occasions. Suicide is the most common cause of death for young people between the ages of ten and 29 in the Southeast Asian financial metropolis. (con)