THE Education Ministry is not abolishing corporal punishments in schools just yet.

However, the ministry said it is willing to listen to public feedback relating to the caning of students.

“At this moment we would not consider abolishing corporal punishment, but we are always open for opinions. If the public thinks we have to stop it totally, we have to discuss (it first),” said Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon in a Bernama report yesterday.

Chong was commenting on the proposal by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission for the Education Ministry to scrap corporal punishments following the death of 11-year-old Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi in Johor on Wednesday.

The deputy minister, however, said parents should be more concerned about their children’s whereabouts and spend more time with them to keep up on their developments in school.

“You need to talk to your children. If you do not communicate with them, they won’t tell you things that happen to them. Maybe they are too scared to share their experience,” he said.

He also said that although convicts are allowed to be hired by schools, they should be given more suitable posts like security guards and not wardens.

Chong was met after presenting prizes at the national-level Nadi Ilmu Amalan Membaca (Nilam) Award 2017 ceremony at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. – April 29, 2017.