SINGAPORE: Bullying is not acceptable and has no place in schools, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Saturday (Aug 20), adding that it takes a serious view on any form of bullying, including cyberbullying.
In response to CNA’s queries, MOE said that since 2012, the number of such incidents reported each year to schools has remained low. About two cases per 1,000 primary school students and five incidents per 1,000 secondary school students are reported.
On Thursday, the police said three teenagers were arrested after a girl was assaulted in a multi-storey car park in Buangkok.
The three teenagers, all aged 15, were arrested for wrongful confinement. They are also under investigation for voluntarily causing hurt.
Videos of the assault were circulated on social media. In the videos, three girls, all dressed in black tops, can be seen repeatedly hitting a girl in white while questioning her. The girl in white was grabbed by the hair and thrown to the floor several times.
In January, MOE said it took disciplinary action against three students seen fighting in a video which was circulating online. The 30-second clip shows a girl in a school uniform kicked and punched several times by two other girls.
Last year, in another incident that made the rounds on social media, some Ngee Ann Polytechnic students were caught urinating on two other male students.
On Saturday, MOE said that when there are reports of alleged cases of bullying, school staff will seek to understand the underlying causes of the behaviour. It added that such cases are “complex” as they can extend into the online space and often involve unresolved relationship issues.
“Counselling support is provided to the students involved and appropriate disciplinary actions are meted out where necessary to help students understand that there are consequences for anti-social and hurtful behaviour,” it added.
“Schools also engage the parents and work with them to provide students with the necessary support both in and out of school.”
All students are also taught the safe channels to report serious incidents, inappropriate practices, or hurtful behaviours. Peer support leaders also help to keep online and offline spaces safe and positive, alerting teachers when needed, said MOE.
As part of efforts to establish a caring and enabling learning environment, schools have appointed dedicated key personnel to oversee and implement preventive and intervention measures to engender a peer support culture in the learning, social and cyberspace, it added.