Parents should let schools handle fighting or bullying cases, and avoid jumping in: Chan Chun Sing (2025)

SINGAPORE - Parents are understandably anxious when their children are involved in fighting or bullying, but they should let schools and the authorities handle these cases without speculating or stepping in to complicate matters, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) does not disclose details of such incidents or the child’s family circumstances out of respect for their privacy, and due to the “sensitive nature of these matters”, he said in Parliament on Feb 4.

He was responding to questions by Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa, who had asked about two incidents at Admiralty Secondary School that came to light in January. In both cases, the school has taken disciplinary and restorative actions, he added.

On Jan 7, a 12-year-old boy from the school in Woodlands allegedly attacked his classmate, who suffered a cut on his head and was taken to the hospital.

In his reply, Mr Chan noted that MOE’s preliminary investigations showed that this was an altercation and not an incident of bullying.

“An altercation happened between two new Secondary 1 students... between periods. This resulted in one student striking the other on the head with a plastic water bottle, giving rise to a cut on that student’s head,” he said.

“The form teacher intervened immediately on witnessing the scene, and separated the students. The injured student received first aid for the cut on his head, while the school leaders called for an ambulance to convey him to hospital.”

The school ensured the victim received timely medical care, kept in communication with his parents, provided learning support, and is assisting the police with investigations.

The perpetrator has also been suspended, and will face “further disciplinary actions” when he returns to school, said Mr Chan. Upon his return, the school will “facilitate the restoration of relationships between the two students”.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling, in response to a separate parliamentary question by Ms Poa about the same incident, said that the police were alerted to the alleged assault on Jan 7 at about 2pm.

She added that the “persons involved are known to one another and are assisting with investigations”.

In a separate case that surfaced online on Jan 8, a 15-year-old girl from Admiralty Secondary School died by suicide in 2023 after she allegedly faced bullying and fell into depression, according to a Facebook post by her mother.

Said Mr Chan: “The causes and possible triggers for suicides are complex and multifaceted.When it happens, our school leaders seek to extend help to affected students and families, and work closely with families in managing their grief.

“MOE is deeply saddened by this loss and our condolences are with her family and loved ones.”

However, school leaders and teachers are left “vulnerable to misunderstanding, leading to online attacks and abuse of our teachers and staff while they continue to exercise restraint and sensitivity to the families”, Mr Chan said.

He said that the school had “gone above and beyond in supporting this student”, including helping her to reconcile with her friends, providing counselling and supporting her family.

“The one-sided allegations lobbed at Admiralty Secondary do not reflect the full picture. They do not do justice to the efforts that the school had made to help the student and her family in her time of need.”

He added: “The outcome was not something anyone wished to see happen. But the intent and efforts of the school to help the child, seeking to partner the family, should not be doubted.”

Public response to incidents like bullying

“MOE takes a serious view of any act of bullying or violence,” said Mr Chan. “No one should be bullied, no one wants to be bullied, and no one should bully.”

He noted that at Admiralty Secondary School, in the last five years, there was an average of about two incidents of bullying a year per 1,000 students, both within and outside of school. “This is no higher than the national average of bullying cases at secondary schools,” he said.

The ministry monitors these cases, whether inside or outside schools, offline or online, he said.

“While cases of physical bullying are relatively stable and manageable, other associated issues have arisen, especially online, to compound our concerns,” he said. These include the virality of social media postings, and social media vigilante actions.

“MOE is particularly concerned when adults take to social media or turn up in our schools to threaten our staff, demanding action on behalf of their children, and even threatening the other children,” he said, adding that MOE will take firm action to safeguard the well-being of its staff and students.

While these incidents are few, they take up teachers’ time and bandwidth, said Mr Chan.

“While a small number of parents may think the schools have not done enough in their eyes to address their grievances, we can all be confident that our teachers are taking care of the interests of all our children impartially, and not just a few or selected ones,” he added.

It is one thing for children to fight, and quite another for adults to jump in and take sides, said Mr Chan. This may “aggravate the quarrel, and detract us from guiding our children towards reconciliation and rehabilitation”.

“In the recent incidents, school leaders were flamed online, the school was unfairly represented, and the steadfast efforts of our educators to support all affected students were left unacknowledged and unappreciated,” he said.

Setting out guidelines for the public to respond to such incidents, he said: “What we hear and see online may not be what it is.

“He who shouts the loudest and fastest, may not be the most innocent nor most accurate.”

Mr Chan cautioned against the dangers of online misinformation and vigilantism, mass outrage and reactive behaviour without careful consideration.

“Retributive justice must be coupled with rehabilitative justice,” he said. “Punishment alone, without due care to rehabilitate, is not in line with the long-term developmental interests of our children.”

Mr Chan warned that impulsive reactions – such as amplifying one-sided perspectives or undermining school authority – can have long-term negative consequences.

“We are our children’s role models – if we act like bullies, online or offline, they will too,” he said.

“Threatening, doxxing and being disrespectful to other children and teachers are not actions that make our children better. This is also not how we demonstrate to our children that we care for them and protect them.”

Protecting children from consequences teaches them that accountability does not matter and that they will always be bailed out, Mr Chan said. “When we... shield our children who have done wrong from punishment, we are teaching them the wrong lessons.”

Parents and the public should work together to be positive role models, and carefully consider “how we should respond in ways that are helpful and kind”, he added.

• Gabrielle Chan is a journalist at The Straits Times, and covers everything related to education in Singapore.

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