Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) is in the process of terminating the employment of senior lecturer Tan Boon Lee who was filmed making racist comments to an interracial couple near Orchard Road.
The video, uploaded on June 6, went viral. A few days later, an NP alumna took to Instagram and accused the lecturer of making Islamophobic remarks during class in 2017.
NP, in a Facebook statement on Thursday (June 17), said it has charged Tan with a serious breach in its staff code of conduct after having completed investigations into both incidents.
"Our staff members are expected to respect cultural, ethnic and religious differences in our society. They must uphold secularity and impartiality at all times.
"The disciplinary action meted out against the staff in question reflects our commitment to provide a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for our campus community," NP said.
NP added in their statement that police investigations are ongoing.
Talk To Your Child About Equality And Racism
It's neither too late nor too early to talk about racism with your child and how it's wrong. Even at the earliest age, you can start to ease them through conversations about the importance of being kind to others regardless of where they're from, what they believe in and what they look like.
When your child is beginning to notice the differences between them and others, you can start conversations such as:
- Recognising and celebrating differences. Your child might come up to you to ask why their skin colour, eyes or hair is different from other people. Teach them that while every person is different and unique, we are all still human and mention other things that they could have in common with that person.
- Let them know that you're open to talking about such things. Encourage your child to ask questions when they're confused and ensure that they know they can always come to you to explain. Try not to avoid their questions or make the topic appear taboo for them to ask about.
- Teach them to be fair. The best way to talk to them about equality is to remind them to be kind and fair to their peers.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
Lead image source screengrab from Facebook / Dave Park Ash.
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