SINGAPORE: When it comes to their child’s safety at school, parents in Singapore, like everywhere else across the globe, raise their voices loud and clear, as was the case with the father of a young boy from River Valley Primary School who was allegedly bullied to the point of getting injured and needing medical attention.
The children involved in the incident are eight and nine years old and are in Primary 3.
The school principal, meanwhile, has gone on record as saying that the boy’s injuries had been the result of an accident and that the boy had not been assaulted.
Netizens commenting on the incident have been divided as to who is really to blame, pointing fingers in several directions.
The public first learned about the incident when the boy’s father, who goes by Adrod on TikTok, posted a video about it on Monday night (Oct 6). It has since gone viral, receiving over 820,000 views so far.
@emceejohnny School bully in River Valley Pri Sch??? #rvps #rivervalleyprimaryschool #schoolbully #moe #ministryofeducation
In it, he claims that another boy had taken his son’s wallet during recess and run off with it. When his son ran after him, the father claimed that the other boy punched him in the face, causing the post author’s son to suffer a concussion and later grow dizzy.
Moreover, the other boy allegedly took the post author’s son’s snack away and ate it himself.
The father was upset when he arrived at the school, calling an ambulance and filing a police report. The injured boy was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The video obscures the upper part of the son’s face, but shows that the child had injuries to his mouth and lips.
His father, however, did not hold back with his dissatisfaction with how the school handled the incident.
Pointing fingers, assigning blame
Allegations of bullying are certain to get people hot under the collar, based on the thousands of comments the video has received.
TikTok users have been divided concerning who is really to blame for the incident.
“Hello parents out there! The teacher is not your child’s nanny! The teacher is responsible for your child’s results! It is your child’s upbringing… what your son did in school is your responsibility to teach,” one wrote.
Another agreed, writing, “Do not blame the school. Nowadays, with a lot of young people, the parents spoil the kids. It’s the parents’ upbringing.”
On the other hand, a commenter expressed unhappiness with official responses to bullying, opining that “SCHOOL, TEACHERS, AND LAW NOT DOING ANYTHING.”
“The father needs to teach the son how to stand up, avoid being a victim,” wrote another.
Others appeared to hold the school principal responsible, not for the incident but for how it was handled.
Another sided with the post author, saying that the “kid’s dad did the right thing.”
One point that commenters appeared to agree on is that more can be done to curb such incidents, as well as bullying in general.
“Bullying exists in every kind of school. We need to teach kids better behaviour, and parents and the school should step in,” a TikTok user wrote. /TISG
Read also: Primary 3 students suspended after bullying and threats to classmate and her mum
