bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Letters

I refer to the letter by Anna Hui (“Why corporal punishment does not work”, September 7).
Your correspondent does have a point. However, the problem is that, nowadays, we get more and more rebellious students and children, especially teenagers and youths.
They know far too well that no matter how naughty they are, teachers in the schools they attend and their parents cannot lay a hand on them.
In previous generations, we were not that rebellious and submitted to the authority of our parents and teachers. We were fully aware that if we misbehaved, we would have to suffer the consequences, which was a beating.
Even though it was just a hit with a small ruler on our palms, we certainly did learn a lesson, which was not to misbehave next time, or else we would again suffer the consequences.
Today, it is totally different. As most families only have a single child, and not more than two, children are spoiled rotten by their parents and also by their extended family members such as grandfathers and grandmothers.
When we have parents who are lax when it comes to disciplining their children, and teachers who are very lenient with their students, we will have a next generation which is not very well behaved and not well disciplined.
It is not unusual nowadays to see children running all over the place when out dining with their families in restaurants. Those people looking after them, such as helpers, have to chase after them to feed them, something that was unheard of in previous generations.
And, for the hard-core students who repeatedly challenge school rules, their only hope for reform is through corporal punishment, rather than treating them leniently. The latter course of action can lead to a very vicious cycle.
When our children are treated leniently, they are likely to carry this practice on to their offspring when they grow up. And so we will end up with the next generation of youngsters not knowing respect, politeness, courtesy and self-discipline, and we certainly do not want to see this happen.
Eunice Li Dan Yue, Causeway Bay


Corporal punishment will act as deterrent for hard-core students

In the past canes were used in schools in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Opinion