Wednesday November 28, 2007

Education seminar passes resolution to cane female students

By SARAH CHEW

KAJANG: Female students should be caned because their disciplinary cases are just as serious as boys'.

This is the reason behind a call to introduce caning for girls in schools, one of the resolutions passed at the National Seminar on Education Regulations (Student Discipline) 2007.

“There have been suggestions that girls should be caned as sometimes there are more girls than boys in schools, and the problems they give are just as serious,” said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar yesterday when closing the seminar.

The three-day seminar, attended by over 500 elected representatives, school heads, ministry officials and also representatives of parent-teacher associations, religious groups and political bodies, discussed school disciplinary issues, punishments and solutions.

It was aimed at looking into and fine-tuning the draft of the Education Regulations (School Discipline) 2007, meant to replace the 47-year-old Education Regulations (School Discipline) 1959.

The 21 resolutions passed yesterday included:

Decisions on disciplinary action at school level should be made by school disciplinary committees;

School uniforms should be the same for students nationwide;

Expelled students who appeal should be given a chance to study in another school;

Handphones are to be banned in schools;

Non-government organisations, parent-teacher associations and other related bodies should be involved in handling disciplinary matters; and

Special schools that emphasise character development should be established for students who have committed serious offences.

Noh said the special schools should not be viewed negatively.

“We are looking at ways to rehabilitate students as a one-day or five-day course is sometimes not effective,” he said.

The seminar, he added, was crucial in helping the ministry formulate the new regulations through discussion with stakeholders.

“We were already planning to implement some of the things covered in the resolutions but are worried about objections from the public,” he said.

For instance, he said, many parents had objected to the circular banning handphones in schools but participants at the seminar supported this ruling.

The draft, he said, would be scrutinised by a technical committee and the Attorney-General’s Chambers before being presented to the Cabinet.

He also hoped that the new regulations would be implemented by next year.

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