Student involved in alleged assault at Admiralty Secondary School has been suspended: Chan Chun Sing
An alleged assault case at Admiralty Secondary School last month was handled appropriately by the school, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
The incident was not one of bullying, he added, but an altercation between two students.
Source: Google Maps
Minister speaks in Parliament about alleged assault at Admiralty Secondary School
Mr Chan spoke about the case in Parliament on Tuesday (4 Feb) in response to questions by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Hazel Poa.
He said the incident on 7 Jan took place between two new Secondary One students during the transition between periods.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
“This resulted in one student striking the other on the head with a plastic water bottle,” he added.
The form teacher acted to separate the students immediately.
The student who was hit received first aid for a cut on his head, while school leaders called for an ambulance.
Source: Mr Goh on Facebook
Admiralty Secondary School ‘acted appropriately’ in alleged assault case
Based on investigations by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the school “acted appropriately to support the student’s well-being”, Mr Chan noted.
He pointed out that the school ensured that the student received medical care promptly, saying:
During his medical leave, the school maintained communication with his parents, provided learning support for the child and monitored his well-being.
The boy’s uncle told MS News after the incident that his nephew was “not emotionally stable” following the incident.
Source: Mr Goh on Facebook
He has since returned to school, the minister said.
Alleged culprit suspended, will face further disciplinary actions
As for the alleged culprit, he has been suspended, Mr Chan said. He will also face further disciplinary actions when he returns to school.
Additionally, he is being counselled, with the school to facilitate “the restoration of relationships between the two students” when they are both back in school, the minister added, explaining:
The objective of these educative and restorative efforts is to help students learn and grow through these experiences.
The alleged victim’s family has since filed a police report, with the report made under the classification of voluntarily causing hurt, according to a case card seen by MS News.
The school has been assisting the police in their ongoing investigations, the minister added in Parliament.
Admiralty Secondary student went ‘above & beyond’ to help student who fell from height in 2023
Mr Chan then moved on to the case of a former Admiralty Secondary student who fell from height in 2023.
The school had “gone above and beyond” in supporting this student when she was experiencing emotional challenges, he said, adding:
When the school was informed that the student was going through some friendship issues, the school took action to guide the affected students to resolve their differences and to reconcile. A dedicated team comprising experienced school staff and school counsellor extended counselling to her and facilitated restorative conversations among the schoolmates. Even after this incident, when the student experienced other challenges, the school continued to provide support and intervention over several months.
The school staff maintained communications with the student’s family throughout, reaching out to work with and support them, the minister noted.
Chan laments ‘one-sided allegations’ that ‘do not reflect the full picture’
However, he lamented that “one-sided allegations” levelled at Admiralty Secondary “do not reflect the full picture”, saying:
They do not do justice to the efforts that the school had made to help the student and her family in time of need. The outcome was not something any one of us wished to see happen, but the intent and efforts of the school to help the child and partner with the family should not be doubted.
Source: Google Maps
In fact, MOE is deeply saddened by this loss and “our condolences are with her family and loved ones”, the minister added.
Parents urged to avoid threatening staff or other children
In his reply, Mr Chan urged parents to allow the school and the authorities to deal with the cases and carry out the necessary actions “professionally”.
While he understands the anxieties of the parents of the children involved, he said:
Without the full facts, let us not speculate or jump in to complicate matters further.
It’s particularly concerning when adults threaten staff to demand action on behalf of their children, or even threaten other children, the minister said, adding that this was “wrong”.
MOE will not tolerate such actions and will take “firm action” to safeguard the well-being of staff and students, he added.
It is useful to remember that it is one thing for children to fight and quarrel. It is quite another for adults to jump in, take sides, aggravate the quarrel, and detract us from guiding our students towards reconciliation and rehabilitation.
Mr Chan said Singapore as a society must be better than this. Thus, parents should work with teachers to be positive role models by responding to information helpfully, kindly, thoughtfully and respectfully to build a “wiser and more compassionate” society, he added.
Also read: Mother of bullied S’pore teen grieves daughter’s suicide, now advocates for youth mental health
Mother of bullied S’pore teen grieves daughter’s suicide, now advocates for youth mental health
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Featured image adapted from MCI Singapore on YouTube and Mr Goh on Facebook.
