On Friday (6 Sept), two mums were accused of jeering young contestants who took part in the finals of the National Chinese Creative Reading Competition.
The pair allegedly gave thumbs-down gestures, waved their hands in an “X” formation, and even flashed their middle fingers, scaring the children present.
After the event, a parent who attended the event saw a video of the incident in the parents’ social media group and alerted Shin Min Daily News.
In the video, the two women whispered to each other as other children took to the stage after their own kids, who were part of a two-member team.
They then made the thumbs-down gesture before standing up and waving their hands for almost a minute.
A parent told the Chinese newspaper that someone confronted the pair and asked what was happening, but was told it was “none of their business”.
The mothers also signalled for their children to leave the stage during a group photo.
Staff members were reportedly unable to react as the scene unfolded.
The inappropriate behaviour left children scared and upset as they exited the stage.
“My son went home and told me he was very angry and confused. Some children were about to cry and needed their parents to comfort them,” said one of the parents.
She added that if parents were unhappy with the results, they could discuss it privately or seek a proper solution.
Resorting to such “disrespectful” gestures is setting a bad example and could even cause the children psychological trauma, said the parent.
The two women reportedly approached staff members after the ceremony.
“I think their children performed quite well… But we all think the judges’ scores are fair and reasonable,” said the complainant.
Some parents considered calling the police but opted to stay quiet as they feared retaliation.
Others contacted the organisers to deal with the matter.
A spokesperson from POPULAR Bookstore Singapore — the event’s organiser — confirmed they received a complaint from a group of parents.
The representative added that in order to be fair to all parties, the organisers have launched an investigation into the incident.
On Thursday (12 Sept), POPULAR Bookstore issued a statement addressing the incident, stating that the parents’ actions “go against the spirit of the competition and good sportsmanship”.
The POPULAR spokesperson emphasised that the competition results were final while highlighting that the judging process was carried out with “utmost fairness, integrity, and professionalism” and
To prevent such incidents from reoccurring, popular will establish guidelines on behavioural conduct and etiquette for future events.
Also read: ‘You are very f***ing stupid’: Mum in S’pore berates child with vulgarities during maths lesson
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
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