Schools in Singapore prefer to handle cases of fighting or bullying with sensitivity, but the Ministry of Education (MOE) may need to release details if a “one-sided story” circulates online, said Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman on 7 March.
Speaking in parliament, Dr Maliki noted that viral videos or posts on social media often present incidents from a “particular perspective.”
He cautioned that the public tends to react emotionally to such content, forming quick judgments about what happened and who was at fault.
His comments came in response to questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) regarding a viral video involving Montfort Secondary School students in February.
The footage, which was widely shared online, showed a group of students approaching a boy from behind before tripping and kicking him.
The video was shared over 10,000 times before it was taken down or made private.
MOE, in a statement on 4 March, clarified that the Secondary 1 student seen being pushed in the video had been involved in an earlier fight with two classmates.
A teacher had intervened to stop the fight in the classroom, but it continued outside the school premises.
The ministry stated that all three students bore some responsibility and would receive appropriate disciplinary action.
Following the video’s circulation, a Facebook user named Joleen Wee, who identified herself as the mother of the student being pushed, posted on 23 February that her son had suffered a “traumatic experience.”
She claimed the incident was not merely bullying but an assault, and confirmed that she had lodged a police report.
Dr Maliki stressed that MOE and schools prefer to manage such incidents privately, allowing students involved to learn from their mistakes.
However, if social media posts present a skewed narrative that causes public concern, damages reputations, or implies that the accuser is entirely innocent, MOE may be compelled to clarify the facts.
“This is to be fair to our educators and all parties involved,” he said, adding that MOE had also explained the disciplinary measures taken against all involved, including the initiator of the fight and those who retaliated.
Dr Maliki: Bystanders and those who share incident recordings will be held accountable
Dr Maliki also addressed the role of bystanders and those who record and share such incidents online.
“Bystanders and those who recorded the incident and shared the recordings online will also be called out, consult and punished if necessary.”
He emphasised that this serves as a reminder that sharing such recordings can worsen the impact on those involved and, in effect, legitimise the actions captured.
“This is to remind them not to do so to avoid further hurting the ones who are involved, and to highlight to them that by sharing their recordings, they are endorsing the acts and are complicit to the act.”
“This will also mitigate the impulse to normalise or chase the extremes in the contest to circulate ever more startling videos and content,” he added.
Calling the situation a “teaching moment,” Dr Maliki underscored the importance of understanding incidents in full context rather than forming conclusions based on brief video clips.
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