UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh has urged that teachers be reinstated with the authority to cane students, describing it as a necessary tool to restore discipline and moral values in schools. He emphasized that the intention behind caning is not to inflict pain, but to serve as a meaningful lesson that guides students toward understanding their mistakes and becoming better individuals.
Discipline in schools has deteriorated because teachers no longer hold the same authority they once did. He remarked that when students no longer fear consequences, respect for educators and institutions begins to erode—eventually producing individuals who disregard values and rules. Restoring the power of caning, he said, could serve as a deterrent and help shape students into more responsible adults in the future.
His remarks came in response to a shocking case involving a Form Three student from a secondary school in Melaka who was allegedly sexually assaulted by two senior students. The incident, which reportedly took place inside a classroom in Alor Gajah around 2.50pm on October 2, was said to have been recorded by two other students using their mobile phones. The disturbing video later circulated among students before reaching teachers and eventually the victim’s mother, who lodged a report.
The case has sparked widespread outrage, with many questioning the state of discipline and safety in schools. Akmal suggested that the lack of fear of disciplinary consequences has contributed to such moral decline. He added that when preventive measures are weakened, respect for teachers diminishes, leaving room for unruly and unacceptable behaviour among students.
He stressed that reintroducing the caning policy would not mean promoting violence but rather reinstating a structured form of correction aimed at preserving moral integrity and respect within the education system. “Caning is a form of teaching to remember - to become a person of faith in the future”, He said
The call to return the authority of corporal punishment to teachers has reignited debate over the balance between discipline and child welfare in Malaysian schools.
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