Kempen Mari Merotan

The Education Ministry is mulling over introducing canning for female students.

Finally.

On the subject of capital punishment (canning in this case), I strongly support it. I believe students these days are starting to get ideas that they are immune from punishment, since every other teacher who did their job were sued/reported. Of course, some deserved to be sued/reported. Some exercised excessive punishment. IMHO as long as it doesn't draw blood, not breaking any bones, not amounting to any serious physical injury, then I think it's fine. My parents are both teachers, and I know their frustrations dealing with their students. My dad deals with secondary schoolboys, caning is an everyday occurence. My mom deals with primary schoolkids, lesser forms of punishment were dealt out accordingly (most of the time, just a hairdryer treament a la Sir Alex is suffice for she got a fearsome temper).

I cringe everytime I read news reports that parents complained that their kids got caned or were made to stand for some time for not doing their homework. What I think? If they have been doing the parenting at home, and made sure the kids did their work, then there wouldn't have been any punishment at all. If work or other engagements are more pressing than your children, then you should have a clear conscience when some stranger caned your child. Why should you care now, when you did not in the first place?

The ministry should fight more for the teachers, for they are doing it not for fun, and surely not for their own good. Don't let them lose heart and lose authority. Look at what is happening when naive kids and more naive parents think they have the authority.

Then on the subject of girls to be caned, I strongly agree. Of course, with the proper guidelines and control measures in place. Again, I believe unruliness comes when they know they are immune. Caning a girl won't make her pregnant, or barren, or suffer from cervical cancer, or menopause earlier. Refer to me mentioning about proper guidelines and control measures if you start thinking that girls are weaker and shouldn't be caned like boys. Of course not, they can't take the same punishment. Having a brain would help in determining such.

I' ve had more than my fair share of caning throughout my schoolyears, by my parents when I was younger and by wardens and headmaster in secondary school. Are you surprised that I'm not crippled today? By the way, the worst caning I ever got was from Ustaz Wan. Don't worry ustaz, I ain't gonna sue you!