By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 17: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has been urged to reconsider granting teachers the authority to cane (‘rotan’) students as part of efforts to educate and build students’ character in schools.
According to a TVS report, Sarawak Deputy Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Mohammad Razi Sitam, said the proposal deserves attention in view of the increasing number of recent incidents involving school students, including cases of bullying, rape, and murder.
According to him, such developments have raised public concern, especially among parents, about the safety and discipline of students in schools.
“We are very worried about several recent cases, including incidents of murder, rape, and bullying in schools. Parents are also concerned for their children’s safety when they see such incidents happening more frequently,” he said after chairing the Debak Festival 2025 Organising Committee Meeting at his service centre in Debak today.
Razi, who is also the assemblyman for Saribas, explained that it is time to introduce a new approach to address disciplinary problems among students, including reinstating teachers’ authority to cane as an educational punishment, not to harm the students.
“In the old days, I was caned by my teacher for being naughty and for not doing my homework. But at that time, we understood that the caning was meant to teach us a lesson. Now, it seems that caning has become an offence, even though the teachers’ intention is only to instil discipline in students,” he said.
He added that no teacher intends to injure students; rather, every disciplinary action is taken out of a sense of responsibility to educate and shape good character.
Razi said that caning, in the past, had proven effective in producing a more well-mannered generation that respected teachers.
Therefore, he believes the authority to cane should be reinstated, provided its implementation follows clear guidelines and takes into account current circumstances.
“With proper regulations and prudent supervision, this step is believed to help restore discipline and moral values among today’s young generation in schools,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the Debak Festival 2025, he informed that it is expected to be held in December, with 20 programme components planned to enhance the socioeconomic well-being of the local community. — DayakDaily
