Protocol for Staff Interventions in Physical Bullying by Students Under 14 Years Old and Sharing Guidelines with Parents
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the intervention steps for primary school staff handling physical bullying by students under 14 and the sharing of guidelines with parents, as raised by Ms Carrie Tan. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing responded that schools utilize age-appropriate approaches that consider student maturity and prioritize restorative justice and rehabilitation for both victims and perpetrators. The Ministry of Education emphasizes teaching pro-social behaviours from a young age and handles cases with sensitivity according to the seriousness of the offence. To align efforts, schools share strategies and provide resources to parents, who are regarded as critical partners in supporting children and reinforcing positive social interactions. This collective approach aims to guide students to be empathetic and kind through the cooperation of schools, parents, and the community.
Transcript
59 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the typical intervention steps or approach taken by primary school staff for the handling of physical bullying by students under the age of 14; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider providing the intervention guidelines to parents so that they are aligned with the school on the steps to take given that referring such cases to the Police may not be the best channel as the perpetrators are children.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: My response will address the question raised by Ms Carrie Tan scheduled for today and another question raised by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim for a subsequent Sitting, on managing bullying involving younger students. [Please refer to "Equipping Parents with Measures in Preparing Children to be Resilient in Handling Cyberbullying", Official Report, 12 November 2024, Vol 95, Issue 146, Written Answers to Questions section.]
I invite Members to seek clarifications, if need be.
We would like to refer Members to the Ministry of Education's (MOE's) response on bullying in schools at the Parliament Sitting on 14 October. [Please refer to "Review of Measures and Help Provided in Student Bullying Incidents", Official Report, 14 October 2024, Vol 95, Issue 142, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
The key points were: (a) MOE takes all forms of hurtful behaviour and bullying seriously; (b) from young, students are taught pro-social behaviours and how to respond to bullying; (c) when incidents occur, schools handle the cases sensitively, according to their level of seriousness.
Support is provided to both victims and perpetrators. Retributive justice must be combined with restorative justice and rehabilitation. Parents are critical partners in our effort to educate and support our students.
In addition, we would like to assure Members that the approach taken by schools in managing bullying, including for younger students, is age-appropriate and considers their maturity and the seriousness of the offence. Schools also share strategies with parents to support their children and reinforce pro-social behaviour. Resources have been provided to parents on supporting their children to respond to bullying.
We seek the support of parents and the community to collectively guide our students to be empathetic and kind.