At a news briefing Monday at the GTV 11 studio in Georgetown, he said Cabinet has decided that corporal punishment in schools should be limited to "stringently defined areas" and its application must be effectively monitored.

While the minister is personally against the use of corporal punishment, he agreed that some level of it should be administered but stressed that there is need for certain guidelines to ensure the safety of children.

"What the ministry has decided to do is define the areas under which corporal punishment is to be administered so as to prevent problems," Jeffrey explained, adding that a directive for administering corporal punishment can only come from the head teacher or senior master/mistress of schools.

The minister said the institution of the "defined areas" also warrants effective monitoring systems to ensure that corporal punishment is applied in accordance with the regulations governing it.

These measures have been introduced in the wake of several reports that teachers were responsible for causing bodily harm to students. (GOVERNMENT INFORMATION AGENCY)