Singapore’s Ministry of Education responds to various school bullying videos circulating online. They also stated that they are seriously taking action against all forms of bullying in Singapore, including cyberbullying.
In this article, you’ll read:
- MOE Responds to Various Bullying Videos in Singapore
- Other Cases of Bullying in Singapore
Bullying is when unwanted words and actions hurt someone. It is also known as aggressive behaviour among young people that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.
It commonly happens more than once, and it becomes hard to stop once it begins happening to them. Heartbreakingly, those who were on the receiving end of bullying often experience long-lasting mental health issues.
In relation to this, cases of bullying across the globe have become prevalent. In Singapore, MOE decided to respond to the continuous circulation of bullying videos online.
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MOE Responds to Various Bullying Videos in Singapore
On the 20th of August 2022, Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE) responds to several school bullying videos making rounds online.
They highly emphasised that they find the cruel act unacceptable in schools in Singapore. Additionally, MOE reassures Singaporean citizens that they take a serious view of any form of bullying. This includes the cyberbullying caused by these videos.
According to MOE officials, bullying incidents reported yearly to schools have remained low since 2012. However, they still receive reports on bullying in about two in every 1,000 primary school students and five in every 1,000 secondary school students.
Three Teenagers Assaulted a Girl
On Thursday, the police arrested three teenagers. According to reports, these three teenagers assaulted a girl in a multi-storey car park in Buangkok.
The three teens involved in the bullying incident are all 15 years old. Authorities decided to arrest them due to wrongful confinement. At present, there are under investigation for voluntarily causing hurt to someone.
The video on the bullying incident went viral on social media. In the video, people can visibly see three girls wearing black tops. They keep hitting a girl wearing white while simultaneously questioning her.
Shortly after, they grabbed the hair of the girl in white and threw her to the floor several times.
Allegedly, the trio assaulted another teenage girl at a multi-storey carport at Block 269 Compassvale Link.
In response to this incident, MOE released a statement regarding the incident during the weekend. According to them, they are aware of this video.
Furthermore, MOE officials stated the involvement of the police in the matter. They also discourage people to speculate about the schools and the students involved in the bullying videos about the incident.
Additionally, MOE said that the schools should be giving appropriate disciplinary action to their students. Aside from that, they will also need to provide counselling and support to their students.
Other Cases of Bullying in Singapore
The Ministry of Education took disciplinary action against three students in January of 2022. This incident involves three students shown fighting in a horrifying bullying video. Unfortunately, the said video went viral online.
The video is a 30-seconder clip showing two girls kicking and punching a girl in a school uniform several times. It was shared on various social media channels available in Singapore.
In addition, there is also another case of bullying which happened last year. Like the other two, this bullying incident went viral on social media. A video recorded some students urinating on two other male students.
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The Ministry of Education’s Course of Action
In response to this, MOE stated that they are taking their part as authorities in resolving bullying issues in the country. Upon receiving the reports on bullying incidents, school staff will seek to understand the underlying causes of the behaviour.
Additionally, MOE closely evaluates the complexity of school bullying videos seen online. These bullying incidents can reach online and often involve unresolved issues. They also plan to provide counselling support to all the students affected.
“Appropriate disciplinary actions are meted out where necessary to help students understand that there are consequences for anti-social and hurtful behaviour.”
MOE also said that schools are engaging with the parents to work with them. In that way, they will be able to provide students with the necessary support both in and out of the school.
Additionally, schools are teaching students to secure channels in which they can report serious incidents, inappropriate practices, and hurtful behaviours.
MOE also said peer support leaders help keep online and offline spaces safe and positive. When the situation requires, schools alert teachers regarding certain bullying cases.
Furthermore, schools decided to appoint dedicated personnel to oversee and implement intervention measures. It aims to engender a peer support culture in learning, society, and cyberspace.
According to MOE, schools are doing this as part of efforts to establish a caring and enabling learning environment for the students.