Singapore society must be careful not to normalise bullying behaviours unintentionally: Chan Chun Sing

SINGAPORE: In light of recent viral videos of bullying incidents involving primary and secondary school students, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Monday (Oct 14) said society must be careful not to normalise such behaviours unintentionally. 

In a combined response to parliament questions on bullying, Mr Chan said students who witness bullying incidents are reminded not to record and share the incidents online to avoid further hurting those involved.

Everyone should also exercise care in responding to viral videos, he added.

"Circulating such materials, trying to dox the student perpetrators, or calling for them to be ostracised could isolate them even more, drive them to extremes, and make it harder for them to mend their ways," said Mr Chan. 

The perpetrators often also need help to turn over a new leaf. 

"We want to steer clear of actions that might hinder or deny a perpetrator's chance for rehabilitation, such as counterproductive social media behaviours."

Mr Chan also called for everyone to discourage copycats and attempts to "out-viral" the last bullying video.

Last month, the police said they were investigating a bullying incident after a video surfaced showing a pupil from Bukit View Secondary School being taunted and kicked to the ground.

A video of a Qihua Primary School student being assaulted by an older boy also emerged online about a week later. Five teenagers were subsequently arrested for their suspected involvement in a case of rioting. 

Earlier this month, a Meridian Secondary School pupil reportedly suffered a ruptured right eardrum after she was assaulted by her schoolmates.

Members of parliament filed a total of eight questions for Monday's sitting. 

MP Wan Rizal (PAP-Jalan Besar) asked whether teachers are "sufficiently equipped" with the knowledge and skills to identify and manage bullying, especially in cases where victims do not report incidents.

MP Louis Chua (WP-Sengkang) asked about the number of reported bullying cases in schools over the past five years and the resources and policies put in place in schools to enhance the detection, reporting and correction of such cases. 

EFFORTS TO "TURN THE BULLY AROUND"

In his reply on Monday, the minister also pointed to the Character and Citizenship (CCE) curriculum where students learn to resolve disagreements respectfully and stand up against bullying.

He added that teachers and school counsellors also provide emotional support to students affected by bullying - whether as a victim or perpetrator - and community resources for those who are still distressed. 

The objective of these educational and restorative efforts is to help students learn from their mistakes, said Mr Chan. 

"These efforts are taken to turn the bully around, rather than just 'expelling' or suspending them from school," he added. 

When relationships are affected due to conflicts and misconduct, schools and institutions take steps to educate, discipline, and restore relationships in the school community.

Parents' support and partnership are also required as they are vital in shaping children's character, he added. 

When a child faces bullying, parents are encouraged to remain calm and provide emotional support.

Likewise, when a child has bullied someone, parents can guide their child to learn from the mistake, apologise sincerely, and make amends, Mr Chan said. 

Meanwhile, teachers are trained to create a positive classroom culture, recognise distressed students, and proactively address hurtful behaviours and bullying.

All pre-service teachers receive this training, and new teachers are supported by experienced staff and school counsellors, said Mr Chan.

Educators who are already teaching also receive refresher training as part of their professional development.

When any incident of bullying within or outside schools is reported, thorough investigations are conducted before deciding on the appropriate course of action.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) adopts a tiered approach to bullying cases based on the severity of the incident, added Mr Chan.

For example, in cases arising from careless remarks and misunderstandings, teachers guide students to resolve their differences and reach a common understanding. 

In cases that involve persistent, intentional acts of bullying, serious disciplinary actions are taken in addition to the restorative actions. 

Schools also guide students to report cyberbullying incidents to the relevant online service providers.

The seriousness of the incident, the profile and needs of the students involved are also taken into consideration when taking disciplinary actions, Mr Chan highlighted. 

Schools may put perpetrators on detention or even suspend them from attending lessons. 

Caning is used as a last resort for boys and carried out in an appropriate manner only by authorised adults, he added. 

For severe bullying or fights, a police report will be made and perpetrators will face legal consequences in accordance with the law.

Mr Chan said MOE will continue to work with schools to share good practices and review the strategies to manage bullying. 

"We will continue to update these education and intervention measures and partner parents to create caring and safe learning environments for our students."

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT "ON RECORD FOREVER"

In a supplementary question, MP Sharael Taha (PAP-Pasir Ris-Punggol) asked if MOE would work together with the Ministry of Digital Development and Information to get social media platforms to remove viral videos so as to not cause students further embarrassment. 

To this, Mr Chan agreed that there are discussions on this and that the ministry is "particularly concerned" when videos of such instances go around as there can be consequences. 

Reiterating concerns over doxxing perpetrators, he said: "It will leave a digital footprint for a very long time and I'm not sure it  will help us in our rehabilitation efforts."

"Imagine a young child doing something wrong, and it's on record forever. That child will be our child."

He added when adults jump into this, it can sometimes be "most unhelpful" in managing the situation on hand, rehabilitating the perpetrator and helping the victim to heal.

Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa from the Singapore Progress Party also asked if there have been studies looking into why children or young people engage in bullying behaviour. 

In response, Mr Chan said the ministry is closely watching the impact of COVID-19 safe distancing measures, which resulted in fewer opportunities for children to grow up interacting with people.

It is looking at whether this will have an impact on the type of social or anti-social behaviours children will have, he added.

Mr Chan also responded to questions on the underreporting of bullying cases, saying the ministry is concerned both about under- and overreporting of incidents. 

He noted that students are exposed to much more diverse influences beyond schools, community and even families, and largely through the internet.

The sources of information and what they are being exposed to have become "much more complex", he said. 

"Regardless of the complexity, we encourage all students to report instances whereby they feel that they have not been treated with respect or may feel unsafe."