The Principals’ Union has urged the Ministry of Education to issue a circular clearly outlining the measures school authorities should take when dealing with student misconduct if the proposed amendments to the Penal Code on banning corporal punishment are passed in their current form, Mawbima reported.

Speaking at a media briefing held yesterday (29), the union’s General Secretary, Nimal Mudunkotuwa, warned that the passage of the Bill could create an environment in which teachers and principals would face significant challenges in maintaining discipline.

He stressed that the Ministry should provide clear written guidelines, through a circular, specifying what actions can be taken against students who break school rules — including students arriving with tinted or dyed hair, boys wearing earrings, and girls with pierced noses.

Mudunkotuwa described the school’s accepted disciplinary framework as a kind of “subculture” within the school environment, adding that if it is dismantled, students would gain “unlimited freedom.”

He further cautioned that if the amendments are implemented without proper guidance, the government may face unintended consequences, including the emergence of a society that disregards teachers and parents.