How do countries around the world punish students?

1. Japan

Punishments such as kneeling, cleaning duty or being left out of class are common in Japan and accepted by parents. Photo: Pamfleti

Japan's 1947 Education Law prohibits corporal punishment of students. However, a 1984 Tokyo High Court ruling said the law did not prohibit other forms of punishment, including standing in class, kneeling, or copying.

As a country famous for its discipline in both school and work, it is no surprise that a 2017 survey by Save the Children found that more than 70% of Japanese parents felt that corporal punishment was “acceptable” and “should be used in special cases.”

2. Malaysia

Malaysia's education system struggles to reconcile religious differences. Photo: AsianParent

As a multiracial Muslim country, the country’s education system must accommodate deep religious differences. “While corporal punishment should be discouraged, it is currently impossible for teachers to manage increasingly large classes,” said Malaysian Teaching Association president Kamarozaman Abd Razak.

Most schools here have psychological counseling rooms to explain to punished students the mistakes they have made.

3. South Korea

In Korea, for small mistakes like forgetting books or talking, students can be forced to kneel in front of the classroom door or run a few laps around the school.

In August 2010, the Seoul Metropolitan Education Office issued a law banning all forms of corporal punishment in the classroom. Two months later, the law was implemented in Gyeonggi Province and quickly created a wave of strong opposition from the Korea Federation of Teachers Associations (KAFTA).

In a survey conducted by Yonhap in early 2011, more than 60 percent of teachers said that this was an impossible decision to make given the pressure on grades and growing class sizes. That is why, so far, the law banning corporal punishment in schools is only in effect in Seoul and Gyeonggi.

In 2012, the incident in which two male students loudly demanded that a biology teacher kneel down and apologize in class caused public outrage and calls for police support for high school teachers.

4. Singapore

A Singaporean teacher is punishing a male student in class - Photo: Corpun

In the Lion City, caning is legal in most schools. As of April 2017, according to a government survey, 53% of secondary schools and 13% of primary schools publicly announced on their websites that they would be using the corporal punishment for parents to see.

Singapore's Education Act strictly regulates the levels of violations that require caning, and a witness is required when the punishment is imposed. All information about the punishment will then be saved in the principal's database. Singapore is also one of the few countries that still maintain caning as a punishment for minor crimes such as theft or illegal labor.

A Chinese schoolgirl's knees after being punished by kneeling on beans. Photo: FilterCopy

In China and the Philippines, common punishments include forcing students to kneel on frozen beans, corn kernels, and raw rice. In some cases, students are forced to do a headstand and walk on their hands, have their mouths covered, and even... their underwear pulled down.

In the United States, corporal punishment is considered legal in 19 states.

According to a document from the US Office of Human Rights, currently, 19 states in this country allow corporal punishment for students. In Europe, France and the Czech Republic are the last two countries that still maintain the legality of this punishment.

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