Singapore has announced that male students who bully classmates — including through cyberbullying — may face up to three strokes of the cane under new school disciplinary guidelines debated in parliament this week. Education Minister Desmond Lee described caning as a "last resort" to be approved by school principals and administered only by authorised teachers, with counselling to follow. The move has drawn scrutiny from international bodies such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization, which argue that corporal punishment harms children's physical and mental health and can worsen behavioural problems over time.